Xavier Gets By Pirates In Series Finale, 8-7

Sunday, April 30

Cincinnati, OH / Hayden Field

10 a.m.

Seton Hall University

24-19, 0

Xavier

27-17, 0

Seton Hall

Xavier

Max Viera takes an at bat against Monmouth on March 12

4/30/2023 2:42:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score BOX SCORE.pdf

Cincinnati, Ohio - Junior Max Viera (Greenwood Lake, N.Y.) had the go-ahead RBI late for the second consecutive game as part of a 3-for-5 afternoon but the Seton Hall baseball team couldn't complete the sweep of Xavier as the Musketeers salvaged the series finale, 8-7, on Sunday afternoon.

Joining Viera with three hits was redshirt junior Staus Pokrovsky (Pittsgrove, N.J.) who went 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Senior Oscar Murray (Brentwood, Calif.) hit a two-run home run and redshirt junior Jonathan Luders (Lynnfield, Mass.) drove in a pair of runs. Redshirt sophomore Cole Hansen (Skillman, N.J.) struck out four and allowed only one run in 4.2 innings of relief.

The Pirates drop to 24-19 overall and 7-5 in the BIG EAST, moving one game behind Xavier into fourth place in the league standings.

THE GAME:

After allowing an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning, starter Chris Shine (South Plainfield, N.J.) worked a scoreless second and Murray put the Pirates ahead, 2-1, on a majestic two-run home run in the top of the third. However, a Xavier grand slam in the home half of the third put them back in front, 5-2, and it chased Shine from the game.

Hansen came out of the bullpen and retired five of the first six batters he faced in the third and fourth innings, setting the stage for a three-run fifth inning for the Pirates. An RBI single off the bat of Pokrovsky made it a two-run game, 5-3, and hard hit ball by Luders ricocheted off the foot of the Xavier pitcher and into left field. Two runs came around to score and it tied the game up at 5-5.

A solo home run for Xavier in the bottom of the seventh put the Musketeers in front, 6-5, but the Pirates answered right back in the top of the eighth. Sophomore Pat D'Amico (Lynnfield, Mass.) led off the inning with a double to right center field and he moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Luders. A wild pitch that went to the back stop allowed D'Amico to score and tie the game up at 6-6. With two outs in the inning, Viera came up clutch again as he punched a single down the right field line that scored a run and gave Seton Hall and 7-6 lead. However, the Musketeers clubbed two home runs in the home half of the eighth to take an 8-7 lead before working around two Seton Hall baserunners in the ninth to salvage the final game of the series.

NEWS & NOTES

The Pirates had the edge in hits with 13 compared to Xaiver's 11 but left 12 men on base.
Seton Hall hit .250 (3-for-12) with runners in scoring position.
The Seton Hall bullpen allowed its first earned run in 43.1 innings, its first since the ninth inning of game two against Butler on April 22.
The Pirates have hit 10 home runs over the last four games.
Seton Hall has hit 30 home runs this season, its most since hitting 31 home runs as a team in 2005.
Murray has safely reached in 18 consecutive games.
Viera now has seven three-hit games this season and 15 total multi-hit games.

UP NEXT:

The Pirates return to Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium this Wednesday when they host Manhattan at