PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – A six-run ninth inning, capped off by a game-tying double by Charlie Concannon and a walk-off home run by Dominic Cuoci, gave the Saint Joseph's baseball team a 6-4 win over Notre Dame and a sweep of its midweek series against the Irish. The win is the fourth in six games for the Hawks at the Snowbird Classic.
Trailing 4-0 and down to their final three outs, the Hawks finally broke through in the ninth as Kadar Namey led off with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and came in to score on a single by Liam Bendo. Two batters later, Marc Giacalone drew a walk to bring Matt Maul to the plate; Maul's single scored Bendo and left the Hawks with runners on second and third with one out.
That brought Concannon to the dish, and the junior answered the call with his second double of the day to tie the game at 4-4. Two batters later, Cuoci sent a Matt Vierling pitch over the fence in right center to bring the Hawks pouring out of the dugout in celebration of victory.
Notre Dame (7-8) got on the board first as Ryan Cole beat out a relay throw on a fielder's choice to allow Alex Kerschner to score the game's first run in the top half of the second.
Saint Joseph's (6-7) had an opportunity in the bottom half of the inning, as Bendo and Namey hit one-out singles and advanced on a balk, but ND's Zack Martin was able to escape the inning unscathed.
The Fighting Irish put two on in the top of the sixth, but Hayden Seig fanned Kerschner before retiring pinch hitter Niko Kavadas to end the inning. SJU would have a chance of its own in the seventh as Bendo was hit by a pitch and ended up on third after a wild pitch and a passed ball, but Cameron Junker tiptoed his way out of the inning to keep the Hawks off the board.
The Irish extended their lead in the eighth as Vierling's one-out single brought home David LaManna and made it a 2-0 game. In the top half of the ninth, LaManna and Nick Podkul hit consecutive RBI singles to double the Notre Dame advantage to 4-0.
That set up the dramatic finish that gave Saint Joseph's its second consecutive victory and sent the Hawks back to Philadelphia on a positive note. The walk-off home run was Cuoci's second game-winner in four days; on Sunday, his two-run shot in the eighth inning of Sunday's resumption of play led the Hawks to a 4-3 win over Georgetown.
Cole Stetzar was charged with a pair of unearned runs in an inning and two-thirds of relief for his first collegiate win, while Vierling allowed six runs on six hits in an inning and two-thirds of his own to take the loss and fall to 1-2.
The Hawks will look to build on the momentum from the last two days when they open their home schedule on Friday afternoon against Wagner. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m. at Smithson Field.
