PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – A six-run ninth inning led Butler past the Saint Joseph's baseball team, 8-6, at North Charlotte Regional Park on Wednesday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (5-10) took the early lead on a double by
Andrew Cossetti in the bottom of the first.
• Butler (8-7) tied it in the top of the second, but the Hawks answered right away as
Matt Cuppari led off the bottom half of the inning with his second home run in as many days.
• The Bulldogs would tie it again in the third, but an RBI single by Cuppari in the bottom of the fifth gave the Hawks a 3-2 lead.
• SJU would extend the margin to 5-2 on a two-run single by
Tim Cavanaugh in the sixth; Cavanaugh would add a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth to make it a 6-2 game,
• Butler would answer with six runs in the ninth on five hits, four walks, and an error to take an 8-6 lead.
• The Hawks got the tying run to the plate with two away in the bottom of the ninth, but could not draw level.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Clay Holzworth retired both batters he faced in the bottom of the eighth to earn the win and improve to 1-0 on the season, while Jack Pilcher earned his fourth save of the season for the Bulldogs.Â
Cole Stetzar fell to 0-1, taking the loss for Saint Joseph's.
•
Luke Zimmerman had a strong start for the Hawks, scattering seven hits and allowing just two unearned runs while striking out eight in five innings.
• Cavanaugh was 2-for-4 with three RBI on the day, while Cuppari drove in two runs of his own.Â
Jake Artz went 3-for-6 as well.
• The teams combined to leave 28 runners on base in the game.
UP NEXT
The Hawks will play their home opener on Friday when they host Long Island. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. from Smithson Field.
