May 4, 2013

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MERION STATION, Pa. - Junior Jordan Carter notched 11 strikeouts in eight innings, but the Saint Joseph's baseball team ultimately fell to Xavier, 6-4, on Saturday afternoon at Smithson Field. Junior Mike Muha added three hits and a run batted in, while sophomore Stefan Kancylarz hit his fourth home run of the season.

Carter allowed four runs, three earned, in eight innings. He set a new career-high for strikeouts in a game, and did so without a walk.

Muha was 3-for-5 with a run batted in, while Kancylarz and Quinn Renner notched two hits apiece as well.

Xavier (24-20 overall, 11-6 Atlantic 10) took an early lead as a two-out error and then a double by Vinny Nittoli gave the Musketeers a 1-0 first-inning advantage. The lead would swell to 2-0 in the second when Daniel Rod stole home.

Saint Joseph's (24-21 overall, 10-7 Atlantic 10) got one back in the bottom of the second. The Hawks scored a two-out run of their own after Collin Forgey doubled home Lansing Veeder to cut the deficit in half.

Pitching took over through the middle innings, as Carter retired 10 straight from the third through the sixth. Xavier's Scott Klever worked around leadoff doubles in the third and sixth innings, and escaped a first-and-third, no-out jam in the fourth.

Stephen Schoettmer led off the top of the seventh with a double and Mark Elwell singled him in two batters later to extend the Musketeer lead to 3-1, but SJU answered right back in the bottom half as Renner singled to start the frame and came in to score on a two-out single by Muha that made it a 3-2 game.

Unfortunately for the Crimson and Gray, Nittoli took the first pitch if the eighth over the fence in left to restore the two-run margin. Xavier added two more in the ninth on a single by Jacob Bodner and a throwing error.

Kancylarz's two-run home run to right with one out in the bottom of the ninth cut the margin to 6-4, but Alex Vice retired the next two batters to end the ballgame.

Despite his strong outing, Carter took the loss to fall to 3-4. Klever improved to 4-4, scattering eight hits and allowing one run over six innings.

The teams will conclude the series on Sunday afternoon at Smithson Field. First pitch in the rubber match is set for noon.