Seton Hall University
31-22, 0
Villanova
14-37, 0
Seton Hall Wins Sixth Straight With 6-5 Victory Over Villanova
5/20/2023 6:19:00 PM | Baseball
Plymouth Meeting, Pa. - Redshirt junior Staus Pokrovsky (Pittsgrove, N.J.) went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a double and a first-inning three-run home run that set the tone for Seton Hall's sixth consecutive victory that completed a three-game sweep of Villanova as the Pirates topped the Wildcats, 6-5, on Saturday afternoon.
Redshirt junior Devin Hack (Somerville, N.J.) also went 3-for-4 and graduate student Alex Clyde (Old Tappan, N.J.) registered his 21st multi-hit game going 2-for-5 with an RBI single. Redshirt Junior Aaron Groller (Harleysville, Pa.) improved to 3-0 on the season after tossing 2.1 scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts. Freshman Ryan Reich (Sellinsgrove, Pa.) continued his strong rookie campaign by picking up his second save of the weekend, facing the minimum four batters in 1.1 innings with three strikeouts.
The Pirates finish the regular season with a record of 31-22 and a 13-8 mark in the BIG EAST. 31 wins are the most for Seton Hall since 2016 when the Pirates won 38 games. The Pirates will be the three seed at next week's BIG EAST Championship at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio where they will open with second-seeded Xavier on Wednesday, May 24 at 6:30 p.m.
THE GAME:
Seton Hall loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the first inning but Villanova looked like it would be able to escape damage as it turned a one-two-three double play. Stepping up to the plate with two on and two down, Pokrovsky took a 3-1 pitch and sent it over the left center field wall, giving the Pirates a 3-0 lead.
The Wildcats countered with two runs in the bottom of the first and they would later tie the game up at 3-3 in the bottom of the third on a solo home run. Groller came on in the bottom of the third with the bases loaded and two outs and was able to get a strike out looking to end the threat. He retired the side in order in the fourth and worked a scoreless fifth inning that kept it a 3-3 ballgame.
The Pirates would break the tie in the top of the sixth as Junior Zack Sylvester (Montville, N.J.) came off the bench to hit a sacrifice fly that scored Pokrovsky and gave The Hall the lead for good at 4-3. Clyde drove in another run in the seventh with his RBI single that made it 5-3 Pirates. It was a 5-4 game in the eighth when an errant throw down to third base in an attempted pick off went into left field allowing Pokrovsky to score and pushing the Seton Hall back to two, 6-4.
Villanova would not go away as it made it a one-run game again in the home half of the eighth, 6-5, but Reich came on to record in the final out of the inning and he would go on to strike out the side in order in the ninth.
NEWS & NOTES
- Four of Seton Hall's six runs scored were two-out RBI.
- Seton Hall pitching had 13 strikeouts, one shy of matching its season high.
- Seton Hall has won six straight games and 12 of its last 16.
- Six consecutive wins in BIG EAST play for the Pirates is tied for their longest streak since winning nine straight against BIG EAST foes in 2013.
- The Pirates last won six straight games in league play in 2021.
- Seton Hall pitching has allowed only six earned runs over its last 28 innings.
- Reich dropped his ERA in conference play to 0.59 to go along with 18 strikeouts.
- Freshman Anthony Ehly (Abington, Pa.) made his second appearance in BIG EAST play and he struck out three of the nine batters he faced in 1.2 innings.
- Senior Oscar Murray (Brentwood, Calif.) extended his reached base streak to 28 consecutive games.
- Clyde's 21 multi-hit games leads the team.
- Hack now has five three-hit games and 19 total multi-hit games this season.
- Pokrovsky has a team-best 12 multi-RBI games this season and four three-RBI games performances.
- Murray went 2-for-4, his 14th multi-hit games this season, with two runs scored and a RBI.
- Sophomore Pat D'Amico (Lynnfield, Mass.) went 2-for-4 in his return to the lineup.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Groller, Aaron (3-0)
L: TURZAI, S. (1-1)
S: Reich, Ryan (3)
Batting:
2B: Pokrovsky, Staus 1 ; Hack, Devin 1
HR: Pokrovsky, Staus 1
RBI: Clyde, Alex 1 ; Pokrovsky, Staus 3 ; Sylvester, Zack 1
SF: Sylvester, Zack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Murray, Oscar 1 ; Luders, Jonathan 1 ; Clyde, Alex 1 ; Pokrovsky, Staus 3
SB: Murray, Oscar 1
CS: Hack, Devin 1
HBP: Luders, Jonathan 1
Batting:
HR: HANSEN, AJ 2
RBI: HANSEN, AJ 2 ; LARSEN, C. 1 ; GROBER, S. 1 ; REINER, W. 1
SF: GROBER, S. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HANSEN, AJ 3 ; O'REILLY, J. 2
HBP: O'REILLY, J. 1
