Seton Hall University
NYIT
Annunziata, Cahill Key Baseball's Sweep of NYIT
4/12/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 12, 2014
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Junior Sal Annunziata (Bronx, N.Y.) launched a walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Seton Hall baseball team edged NYIT, 7-6, in game one of Saturday's double-header. Sophomore Luke Cahill (Tinton Falls, N.J.) fired six shutout innings in game two of the twinbill as the Pirates completed the sweep with a 6-0 victory.
A day after routing NYIT, 21-0, the Pirates found themselves in an exciting back-and-forth affair in game one of the double-header.
The game was locked in a pitchers' duel as both starters, Seton Hall's Anthony Elia (Flanders, N.J.) and NYIT's Jake Axley held their opponents to a combined two runs over the first six innings.
The Pirates were trailing 2-0 until finally tying the game in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Chris Chiaradio (Teaneck, N.J.) reached on a fielding error by the Bears' first baseman. After Derek Jenkins (Annandale, N.J.) struck out, Zack Weigel (Oak Park, Ill.) tripled to left-center field, scoring Chiaradio. After Kyle Grimm (Bergenfield, N.J.) walked, Annunziata singled up the middle to score Grimm and tie the game at two.
The tie didn't last long however, as NYIT scored three times in the top of the eighth to take a 5-2 lead. But Seton Hall roared back again, scoring four times in the bottom of the eighth to take a 6-5 advantage, its first lead of the game. With the bases loaded, Weigel singled to left-center field to score two runs. Jenkins scored on a wild pitch to tie the game, and Annunziata's sacrifice fly put the Pirates in front.
Seton Hall (25-7) couldn't close the game in the ninth however, as the Bears tied the game at six with a bases loaded sacrifice fly.
The game headed into extra innings, setting up Annunziata's late game heroics.
Annunziata finished the game 2-for-4 with a run scored, a walk, three RBI's and a very important third home run of the season. Jenkins and Weigel had three hits apiece for the Pirates.
Game two was all Seton Hall as the Pirates' pitching, led by Cahill, held the Bears to just four hits.
Cahill gave up just two hits and two walks over six innings and improves to 6-1 on the season.
Chiaradio singled to center field to lead off the bottom of the third inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jenkins. Chiaradio then stole third and scored the game's first run when the Bears' catcher over threw third base. That run would be all the scoring Seton Hall needed in game two.
Joe Poduslenko (Glen Mills, Pa.) had an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth to extend the Pirates' lead to 2-0. In the bottom of the fifth, a sacrifice fly by Grimm made the score, 3-0.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Pirates put the game out of reach with three more insurance runs.
Chiaradio and Chris Selden (Allenhurst, N.J.) had three hits apiece for the Pirates.
Seton Hall will return to action on Thursday, April 17 when it resumes BIG EAST action with the first of three games at Georgetown. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Complete coverage will be available via twitter @SHUbaseball.
