PHILADELPHIA – Through five innings on Sunday, Saint Joseph's senior John Brue and sophomore Deon Stafford, Jr., shared the baseball program's single-season home run record, while Brue also shared the record for home runs in a career.
Both records officially changed hands in the top of the sixth inning as back-to-back home runs gave Stafford the single-season record and Brue the career mark in a 14-2 rout of La Salle at Hank DeVincent Field.
Stafford's 14th home run of the season broke a deadlock with Brue, who hit 13 a year ago to break a mark set nearly four decades earlier by John DelMonte in 1978. Brue followed with his first longball of the day and the 26th of his career, surpassing Jason Hamilton's total of 25 between 1991 and 1993, one day after tying the record.
Saint Joseph's (24-19 overall, 11-7 Atlantic 10) jumped out to an early lead as Marc Giacalone and Brue drew walks before a Charlie Coghlin home run gave SJU a 3-0 lead after one.
La Salle (14-34 overall, 5-13 Atlantic 10) got one back in the second on a fielder's choice by Brett Simon, but the Hawks hung five on the board in the third to add to the cushion. Giacalone and Stafford led off the frame with singles before Brue walked again to load the bases. Coghlin then reached on a fielder's choice as Giacalone was forced out at home, but Charlie Concannon followed with a two-run single to make it a 5-1 game.
Matt Maul reloaded the bases with a single of his own before Cal Jadacki promptly unloaded them with another two-run single to extend the advantage to 7-1. Brian Lau was then hit by a pitch to load the bases once again, and two batters later Giacalone notched his second single of the inning to score Maul and push the advantage to 8-1.
The Explorers strung three consecutive singles together in the fourth, with Simon bringing in another run to get La Salle back within six.
Both teams went down in order in the fifth, but Giacalone reached on an error to start the sixth and set up the consecutive historic at bats from Stafford and Brue that extended the Hawk lead to 11-2.
Maul then led off the seventh with a single, and after a pair of outs, Taylor Boyd and Giacalone singled to load the bases for Stafford. SJU's leading hitter came through again, this time with a two-run single to extend the lead to double digits.
Brue went deep for a second time to lead off the top of the eighth, extending the margin to 14-2 and wrapping up the scoring for the day.
Tim Ponto earned the win for the Hawks, improving to 2-4 on the year after allowing two runs on six hits in five innings. He struck out three and did not walk a batter; for the weekend, the Hawks' pitching staff allowed just two walks in 26 innings, with none being issued by the starting rotation.
Tom Fazzini took the loss for the Explorers, allowing six runs on three hits and four walks in two innings. He fell to 0-5.
Every hitter in the starting lineup reached base for the Hawks on Sunday, led by Giacalone and Stafford, who notched three hits and a walk apiece, and Brue, who walked twice to go with his two home runs.
Saint Joseph's will play its final seven games of the season at home, beginning with Tuesday's non-conference finale against Monmouth at 3:00 p.m. The Hawks will then host Fordham this weekend before wrapping up with St. Bonaventure the following week.
