Payero Shines, Pirates Slug Six Home Runs In Win Over Xavier, 13-2

Friday, April 28

Cincinnati, OH / Hayden Field

3 p.m.

Seton Hall University

23-18, 6-4

Xavier

26-16, 7-3

Seton Hall

Xavier

Nick Payero throws a pitch against NJIT in 2022

Payero Shines, Pirates Slug Six Home Runs In Win Over Xavier, 13-2

4/28/2023 7:51:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score BOX SCORE.pdf

Cincinnati, Ohio - Graduate student Nick Payero (Monroe, N.J.) allowed only two hits and struck out a season-high eight batters in a seven-inning start and his offense hit six home runs as the Seton Hall baseball team handled Xavier in the series opener, 13-2.

Senior Oscar Murray (Brentwood, Calif.), redshirt junior Will Gale (Scotch Plains, N.J.), junior Zack Sylvester (Montville, N.J.), sophomore Jedier Hernandez (Trenton, N.J.) and redshirt junior Jonathan Luders (Lynnfield, Mass.) all went deep for the Pirates. Luders went deep twice. Also at the plate, junior Devin Hack went 4-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored.

Freshman Michael Gillen (Rochelle Park, N.J.) finished the game on the mound for The Hall as he faced seven batters and struck out three in two innings.

The Pirates improve to 23-18 overall and remain in fourth place in the BIG EAST standings with a 6-4 record. Xavier drops to 7-3 in the BIG EAST and is tied in the loss column with Connecticut and Creighton in the league standings.

THE GAME:

The two sides were scoreless through the first two innings before Seton Hall jumped on the board in the top of the third with back-to-back solo home runs from Murray and Gale that made it 2-0. The Pirates tacked on four more runs in the top of the fourth on an RBI double from Hack, a runs scoring single from Hernandez and Luders' first home run of the day, a two-run shot.

Pitching with a 6-0 lead, Payero followed up with a shutdown inning, fanning the final two batters of the frame. Sylvester hit the Pirates' fourth home run of the day with two outs in the top of the fifth that made it 7-0 but the Musketeers made it a five-run game with a two-run long ball of their own.

The Pirates took the momentum back as Luders socked his second home run of the game over the left field fence, making it 8-2 Seton Hall. After a 1-2-3 inning from Payero, the Pirates put the game out of reach with a three-run top of the seventh that extended their lead to 11-2. Payero retired eight in a row to end his outing and he finished with 102 pitches. The Hall's sixth home run of the afternoon came off the bat of Hernandez, a monster two-run shot that was the exclamation point.

NEWS & NOTES

The Pirates have won four consecutive games and seven of their last nine.
The Seton Hall bullpen hasn't allowed an earned run in its last 29 innings dating back to the ninth inning of game two against Butler on April 22.
Seton Hall's six home runs are a season high and it's the most for the Pirates in a single game since at least 2013.
The Pirates previously hit four home runs this season at East Tennessee State on April 1, at San Diego State on Feb. 25, 2017 and at Cincinnati on May 4, 2013.
Friday marked the Pirates' eighth multi-home run game this season, their most multi-home run games in a season since at least 2015.
Seton Hall's 28 home runs this season are its most since 2018 when the Pirates also hit 28 home runs.
Seton Hall has already surpassed last season's win total and has matched its win total from 2021.
Hack set career highs with four hits and three runs scored.
Hack stole his 23rd base of the season and he is now 23-for-23 on the base paths this season.
Hernandez now has three home runs on the season and set a career high with four RBI.
Payero was one shy of his career best of nine strikeouts set at Butler on May 20, 2022.
Payero matched his career long outing of seven innings for the fourth time in his career.
Playing in his 109th college game, Gale's solo home run was the first home run of his career.
Murray now has four home runs this season and six in his career.
Two hits allowed was Payero's fewest allowed in his four starts where he has gone seven innings.