MERION STATION, Pa. – After a week off from conference play, the Saint Joseph's baseball team returns to its Atlantic 10 schedule for a three-game series at Massachusetts. The Hawks and Minutemen will kick off the series at 3:00 p.m. Friday.
The series will continue on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. before wrapping up on Sunday at noon. Live stats will be available free of charge, while video streaming for the weekend will be available as part of a subscription to the Atlantic 10 Network.
Saint Joseph's (14-14 overall, 3-3 Atlantic 10) ended a brief two-game skid with a 7-3 win at Monmouth on Wednesday. Fourth-inning doubles from Charlie Coghlin and Peter Sitaras staked the Hawks to a 3-0 lead, and after Monmouth got one back in the fifth, Deon Stafford, Jr.'s league-leading 11th home run of the season restored the three-run cushion in the seventh.
Monmouth would plate a pair in the bottom half to close the gap to a single run, but a three-run ninth, back by an RBI single from John Brue and a two-run double by Brian Lau, eased the tension and gave the Hawks a much-needed victory.
Stafford leads the Atlantic 10 in home runs (11), on-base percentage (.500), and slugging percentage (.778), while his .398 batting average ranks him second in the league. Lau and Taylor Boyd check in second and third, respectively, with averages of .295 and 284. Marc Giacalone ranks 10th in the league in OBP (.419), powered by his conference-best 22 walks. Stafford sits one free pass behind him, in a three-way tie for second in the league.
Stafford is also the Hawks' leader in runs batted in (25), with Brue just behind at 22. The pair is also within range of two SJU home run marks; Stafford is two shy of Brue's single-season record of 13 set last season, while Brue ranks second in Saint Joseph's history with 21 longballs, four behind Jason Hamilton's career mark of 25 set back in 1993.
On the mound, the Hawks have benefited from outstanding starts to the collegiate careers of freshmen Tim Brennan and Lucas Rollins. Brennan ranks ninth in the A-10 among all qualified pitchers with a 2.61 earned run average, while opponents are hitting just .219 against him, good for sixth in the league. Rollins, meanwhile, has posted a 3.62 ERA in seven appearances, including five starts, and is tied for eighth in the league with 41 strikeouts. Rollins has also notched a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 8.2-to-1, which ranks 17th in all of Division I and second among all freshman hurlers nationwide.
Pat Vanderslice has come on strong in recent weeks, going 3-0 and allowing just a single unearned run over 19.2 innings in his last five outings both as a starter and a reliever. Ryan Kelly has taken kindly to the back end of the bullpen; he allowed a pair of runs on Opening Day, but has ceded just one in 12 appearances since.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts (7-14 overall, 2-4 Atlantic 10) got a walk-off single from John Jennings in the bottom of the 10th inning on Tuesday for a 6-5 win over Central Connecticut. A two-out error in the ninth allowed pinch runner Alec Norton to score and tie the game, setting up Jennings' heroics in extras.
Dylan Morris is the Minutemen's leading hitter, checking in at .322 on the year with a team-high 15 runs scored. Jennings leads the side with four home runs, while Morris is the only other UMass hitter with two. The pair also ranks one-two in runs batted in, with Jennings' 15 just ahead of Morris' 14.
Ryan Moloney has led the Massachusetts starting staff with a 3.71 ERA in five starts, and his 24 strikeouts tie him for the team lead with Tim Cassidy. Justin Lasko is the only Minuteman with multiple victories on his ledger; he is 2-0 with a 4.33 ERA.
Evan Mackintosh has been solid in the bullpen, posting a 1.46 ERA and four saves in seven appearances, while Kevins Lacy (six appearances, 2.31 ERA) and Hassett (nine appearances, 2.95 ERA) have been reliable options for head coach Mike Stone as well.
Probable Starters
Friday, 3:00 p.m.: LHP Lucas Rollins (0-3, 3.62 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Moloney (1-3, 3.71 ERA)
Saturday, 1:00 p.m.: RHP Tim Brennan (3-0, 2.61 ERA) vs. RHP Justin Lasko (2-0, 4.33 ERA)
Sunday, Noon: RHP Tim Ponto (1-3, 3.47 ERA) vs. RHP Tim Cassidy (1-2, 3.96 ERA)
