Pirates' Comeback Effort Falls Short Against Xavier, 5-3

Friday, April 19

South Orange, N.J.

4 p.m.

Seton Hall University

18-19, 1-6

Xavier

19-18, 4-3

Xavier

Seton Hall

Pirates' Comeback Effort Falls Short Against Xavier, 5-3

4/19/2024 8:18:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

South Orange, N.J. - Seton Hall tied the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning after trailing for most of the game but it wasn't enough as Xavier answered with two runs in the top of the ninth and came away with a 5-3 win in the first game of a three-game series on Friday afternoon at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium.

Zack Sylvester (Montville, N.J.) had a two-run double and scored the game-tying run in the eighth. Devin Hack (Somerville, N.J.) went 2-for-4 at the lead-off spot and Jonathan Luders (Lynnfield, Mass.) reached base three times in four plate appearances.

Jackson Balzan (Medford, N.J.) put forth a strong start, his first of the season, as he struck out four and allowed just two hits in five innings. Alex D'Ambrosio (Marlboro, N.J.) all fanned four batters in just two innings of relief work.

How It Happened

Both sides went down in order in the first inning but Xavier was looking to threaten in the top of the second. The Musketeers had runners on second and third with one out but a ground ball to Pat D'Amico (Lynnfield, Mass.) at third base led to a runner being thrown out at home for the second out. With runners on the corners, the Musketeers successfully executed a double steal as the runner from third stole home that gave Xavier a 1-0 lead.

Balzan settled in and retired the side in order in the top of the third. In the home half, the Pirates put two runners on with two outs after Luders was hit by a pitch and Hack placed a single into left field but neither were able to score. Balzan retired eight batters in a row before surrendering a walk with one out in the top of the fifth. The next batter lifted a fly ball to left field and after getting turned around, Robbins secured the ball against the left field wall and threw it to the cut-off man Luders who relayed to first base and recorded the final out of the inning.

Two more stranded runners in the fifth came back to bite the Pirates as Xavier pushed across another run in the sixth that made it 2-0. It was 3-0 Xavier entering the bottom of the eighth when Seton Hall rallied to tie the score. Luders led off the frame with a single to center field and Hack followed with a double down the left field line that gave the Pirates two runners in scoring position with one out. WIth two outs, Sylvester stepped to the plate and delivered a ground rule double to left center that cut Seton Hall's deficit to one, 3-2. Sylvester would later come around to score as he moved to third base on a wild pitch and errant throw down from the catcher allowed him to cross home plate that knotted up the score at 3-3.

Despite the comeback effort, Xavier responded with two runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a 5-3 lead. The Pirates would load the bases in the bottom of the ninth with two outs but they weren't able to extend the game.

Up Next

Game two of the three-game series between Seton Hall and Xavier will take place at 2 p.m. tomorrow at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium