Pirates Claim Wild Series Opening Win Over Creighton, 8-6

Saturday, April 12

South Orange, N.J.

2 p.m.

Seton Hall University

13-21, 0

Creighton

19-10, 0

Creighton

Seton Hall

Photo by: Carl Rizzo

Pirates Claim Wild Series Opening Win Over Creighton, 8-6

4/12/2025 11:28:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

South Orange, N.J. — The Seton Hall baseball team used a six-run fifth inning and strong pitching from starter Ryan Reich and reliever John Downing to defeat Creighton in the series opener, 8-6, on Saturday afternoon at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium.

Reich matched his season high with six strikeouts and allowed no earned runs and just three hits in six innings of work. Downing followed with a three-inning performance that saw him match his career high with five strikeouts in three innings. AJ Soldra went 2-for-5 with two RBI and Casey Cumiskey tallied his third multi-RBI game of the season as he drove in two runs for the Pirates.

Seton Hall has now won four straight games against Creighton at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium.

How It Happened

Reich retired the side in order in the top of the first inning before Creighton put pressure on the Seton Hall defense in the second. The inning led off with a Pirate error, followed by a walk and another error that allowed the game's first run to score. Two sacrifice flies and a two-run home run gave Creighton five total runs in the second to take commanding lead.

Reich bounced back in the top of the third with a one-two-three inning and the Pirates loaded the bases in the home half but couldn't get a run across. The Hall got its first run in the bottom of the fourth as Cumiskey's RBI groundout scored Marco Ali.

After Reich tossed a scoreless top of the fifth, Soldra led off the home half with a single to right field before stealing second base. An infield hit allowed Jimmy Brennan to reach base and move Soldra to third, setting the stage for Kevin Milewksi to bring home Soldra on a sacrifice fly. With two on, two out and Creighton now leading 5-2, Ali's single up the middle made it a two-run game, 5-3. Back-to-back walked with the bases loaded knotted up the score at 5-5 and Soldra delivered the big hit with a two-run single that gave Seton Hall a 7-5 lead.

Reich struck out the side in order in his final inning of work as Downing went to work in the top of the seventh and tossed a scoreless frame. After the Bluejays got a run back in the top of the eighth, the Pirates answered with a run in the home half as Andrew Bianco was hit by a pitch with two outs and the bases loaded that pushed the Pirates' lead back to two runs, 8-6.

Downing got the ninth inning started with a strikeout but Creighton put a runner at second with a double. Following another strikeout and a walk that put two Bluejays on the base paths, Downing got the final batter to swing at strike out that sealed his second save of the season.