Viera Powers Pirates to First BIG EAST Win

Thursday, April 6

South Orange, N.J.

12 p.m.

Seton Hall University

14-13, 0

Georgetown

16-14, 0

Georgetown

Seton Hall

Max Viera takes an at bat against Princeton on April 5

4/6/2023 3:47:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score BOX SCORE - GU (.pdf)

The Hall rallies to down Georgetown, 9-4, behind Viera's four hits and four RBI.

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Junior Max Viera (Greenwood Lake, N.Y.) went 4-for-5 with four RBIs and the Seton Hall baseball team won its first BIG EAST Conference game of the season, 9-4, over Georgetown on Thursday.

For a second straight day, the Pirates had to rally from an early deficit. Seton Hall starter Nick Payero (Monroe, N.J.) and the bullpen held the Hoyas scoreless after the third inning as the Pirates poured on the runs late.

Viera led the offence again, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBIs. Jedier Hernandez (Trenton, N.J.) was 2-for-5 with two RBI, Alex Clyde (Old Tappan, N.J.) had two more hits, going 2-for-5 with a pair of singles, and Devin Hack (Somerville, N.J.) was 2-for-3 with a double, a sacrifice and an RBI.

Payero allowed four runs over 5.2 innings pitched with six strikeouts and only one walk in a no decision. Alex Nicolosi (Stony Point, N.Y.) earned the victory in relief, while Jay Allmer (Cary, N.C.) earned his second save.

THE GAME:
Georgetown got on the scoreboard first with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning, but the Pirates came right back in the bottom of the frame. With one out, Clyde singled to right field, and McNelly followed with a triple to deep right center field. Two batters later, Hack singled to left to score McNelly with the tying run.

In the top of the third inning, the Hoyas grabbed the lead back on a two-run home run by Jake Hyde. The Pirates, however, came back in the bottom of the fifth, putting runners on second and third with no outs. D'Amico drove in a run on a ground out, and Clyde delivered the tying run on a hard RBI single to right field.

In the sixth, The Hall took its first lead of the game. Hack launched a one-out double, and with two outs, Murray walked. Viera followed with a double to the wall in left field to score both runners and give the Pirates a 6-4 advantage.

Two innings later, The Hall got plenty of insurance. With the bases loaded and one out, Viera drilled a single to left field to plate two more Pirates' runs. With two out, Jedier Hernandez (Trenton, N.J.) drove in the Pirates' final run with a hard single to right field.

THE NUMBERS:

The Pirates out-hit the Hoyas, 13-to-12.
Both clubs committed just one error.
Georgetown left 10 runners on base, while the Pirates left nine.
Viera went 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBI.
Hernandez was 2-for-5 with two RBI.
Clyde was 2-for-5 with a run scored.
Hack was 2-for-3 with a double, a sacrifice, an RBI and a run scored.
Payero tossed 5.2 IP with four earned runs, six strikeouts and one walk.
Nicolosi earned the win with an inning of scoreless relief with one strikeout.
Allmer tossed the final two innings, allowing only one hit with two strikeouts to earn his second save.

THE NOTES:

Seton Hall improves to 14-13 overall and 1-0 in BIG EAST play, while Georgetown falls to 16-14 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
The Pirates have now won three straight games and six out of their last seven.
The Hall improves to 95-29 all-time against the Hoyas and has won 15 of the last 17 games in the series.
Seton Hall has now collected at least 10 hits in its last four games and in eight out of its last nine.
The Pirates have averaged 8.8 runs per game over their last six contests.
The Hall's team batting average is up to a season-high .282, which ranks third-best in the BIG EAST.
It's the 21^st time this year that The Hall has committed one or fewer errors.
Viera is batting .559 in his last seven games, including four games of at least three hits.
Clyde is batting .471 in his last eight games.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to action on Saturday when it continues its three-game series against Georgetown at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for Noon.