MERION STATION, Pa. - Taylor Boyd drove in two runs while Matt Maul and Ryan Pater scored two apiece as the Saint Joseph's baseball team avoided a sweep with a 5-1 win over VCU at Smithson Field on Sunday afternoon.
VCU (22-16 overall, 7-5 Atlantic 10) scored a run without a hit in the top of the first, capitalizing on a hit batsman, two walks, and an RBI groundout by Cody Acker.
The Rams threatened again in the second, putting runners on first and second with one out, but Jack Stover induced a double play ball out of James Bunn to end the inning.
Saint Joseph's (12-19 overall, 4-7 Atlantic 10) equalized in the bottom of the third as Boyd's RBI groundout scored Pater to tie the game.
The Hawks scored three in the fifth to go ahead for the first time. Brian Lau led off with an infield single before Pater's sacrifice bunt led to an error on first baseman Darian Carpenter and put runners on first and second with nobody out. Matt Maul followed with a bunt of his own, and the throw from pitcher Heath Dwyer was off line, allowing Lau to score and Pater to reach third.
Boyd followed with a double down the third base line to score Pater and put runners on second and third. Two batters later, Deon Stafford hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Maul and make it a 4-1 game.
SJU extended the lead in the seventh as Maul and Boyd started the inning with singles and Stafford ripped a one-out double to left center to make it a 5-1 game.
The Rams put a runner on in the ninth, but Justin Aungst retired the next three hitters to finish off his second win of the season.
Aungst improved to 2-0 with four and two-thirds innings of shutout relief. He allowed three hits while walking one and striking out eight. Jack Stover added three shutout innings of relief as well, while starter Tim Ponto allowed a run in one and a third innings of work.
Dwyer took the loss for VCU, falling to 5-2, after allowing four runs, two earned, on six hits in six innings.
Saint Joseph's will play its next seven games on the road, starting with a non-conference tilt against Villanova on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 3:15 p.m.
