TOWSON, Md. – A program single-game record six home runs provided the offense as the Saint Joseph's baseball team opened its 2021 season with a 12-3 rout of Towson at John B. Schuerholz Park on Wednesday.  Sophomore Luca Trigiani led the way with a pair of home runs and five runs batted in.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (1-0) got things started right away as Nate Thomas went deep with two on and two out to stake the Hawks to the lead in the top of the first.

• Towson (1-10) got one back in the bottom of the inning, but Trigiani hit his first collegiate home run, a two-run shot, to extend the lead to 5-1 in the second.

• Both offenses were quiet until the fifth, when Trigiani struck again, this time lofting a three-run shot to make it an 8-1 game.

• The Hawks blew the game open in the seventh as Brett Callahan, Brendan Hueth, and Andrew Cossetti hit back-to-back-to-back home runs to give SJU a 12-1 advantage.

• The hosts scored twice in the eighth, but would get no closer.

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• The six home runs are a new single-game program record; the Hawks had previously hit five home runs in a game twice, most recently against Fordham at Smithson Field on May 14, 2016.

• Callahan's home run came in his first collegiate at bat after he entered the game as a defensive substitute in the fifth inning.

• Trigiani was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and five runs batted in for the afternoon, while Thomas ended the day 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three driven in.  Hueth also recorded a multi-hit day, going 2-for-5 with two runs scored.

• Noah Weber got the start and notched the win, tossing three solid innings and allowing one run on four hits while striking out three.  Nick Ramanjulu allowed five runs on five hits in three innings to take the loss and fall to 0-3 on the season.

• Nick Embleton, Ian McCole, Lucas Rollins, and Ryan Devine combined to hold the Tigers to five hits over the final six innings.

• The win marks the third consecutive year that the Hawks have secured a victory on Opening Day.  In 2019 and 2020, SJU split season-opening doubleheaders and earned wins against UNC Wilmington and Ohio State, respectively.

HAWK TALK
"Today was a great start to open the year; I'm very happy for our players," head coach Fritz Hamburg said.  "It was exciting to see how we swung the bats; hitting six home runs in a ballgame is impressive.  I thought we let some innings get away from us and failed to capitalize on a few opportunities but we will learn from them.  Our pitching staff competed well, too.  I thought we did a good job of competing in the zone and our guys made some big pitches to keep the momentum on our side.

"Overall, I'm just really happy for all the guys and the coaches to be back on the field today.  Today was exactly one year since we played our last game.  We were just appreciative to get on the bus and play a ballgame."

UP NEXT
The Hawks will visit George Washington this weekend for a three-game non-conference series.  The teams will play a single game at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and a doubleheader beginning at noon on Sunday.