MERION STATION, Pa. – The Saint Joseph's baseball team fell to Wagner in its home opener as the Seahawks came away with an 11-1 victory on a frigid and windy Friday afternoon at Smithson Field.
Wagner (8-8) notched 10 hits on the day, but also benefitted from a hit batter and 12 walks issued by SJU pitching.
“Unfortunately, we didn't give ourselves much of a chance to be successful today,” head coach Fritz Hamburg said. “We were short in numbers out of the bullpen after the midweek series with Notre Dame, but our pitching was really off today. It was a tough day to do anything on a baseball field, but we certainly didn't adjust to be competitive on the mound. We only threw first-pitch strikes 44% of the time, had 17 three-ball counts, issued 13 free passes, and has a total of 203 pitches thrown. We were working from behind in the count all afternoon.
“There was little to no chance for our club to offense when they are on the field that long, especially with today's weather conditions. And when we did string some offense together, we wound up hitting into three inning-ending double plays. It was one of those days that you want to quickly move on from, but at the same time remember, so it doesn't happen again.”
The Seahawks threatened in each of the first two innings before breaking through in the third with five runs on five hits, a walk, and a sacrifice fly.
Saint Joseph's (6-8) loaded the bases in the bottom of the third, but Eric Ligda induced a double play ball to escape the jam. Wagner then tacked on three more in the fourth on a pair of two-out hits and a wild pitch to push the margin to 8-0.
The Hawks got on the board in the seventh, as Brian Markoski – who notched a pair of doubles on the day as well – Brian Vance, and Liam Bendo each drew walks to load the bases for Marc Giacalone. Giacalone then brought home Markoski with an RBI groundout.
Unfortunately for the Crimson and Gray, Wagner responded with three in the top of the eighth on a three-run double by Anthony Godino to set the final margin.
Ligda allowed just four hits and one run over six and a third innings; he struck out seven and walked five on his way to improving to 3-1. Brian Edgington suffered the loss for SJU; he was charged with five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two in three innings.
“The players recognize that this isn't how they want to perform,” Hamburg said. “To their credit, there was still good flow throughout the dugout all day and they were working on things and talking. That's a good sign. They want to learn and keep getting better. No one enjoyed what happened today, but if we can somehow take away a few points that can keep us moving in a positive direction, then I'll be pleased for them.”
The Hawks will look to bounce back on Saturday when they host Sacred Heart. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.
