MERION STATION, Pa. – A six-run fifth inning allowed the Saint Joseph's baseball team to weather a late rally and hold on for a 9-8 win over UConn at Smithson Field on Saturday afternoon.
Liam Bendo and
Nate Thomas both drove in two runs to lead the Hawks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (5-1) took the lead early on as Thomas doubled home
Brendan Hueth with the game's first run in the bottom of the first. The Hawks would double the lead in the third after Hueth scored again, this time on a double by
Andrew Cossetti.
• The Huskies got on the board in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Erik Stock.
• The Hawks broke the game open in the fifth as they sent 11 batters to the plate. Bendo led off with a walk, chasing starter Joe Simeone.
Jake Artz then greeted reliever Pat Gallagher with a triple to score Bendo and restore the two-run advantage. Hueth would then reach on a fielder's choice that brought home Artz and made it 4-1.
• Walks to Cossetti and
Brandon Drapeau surrounded a single by Thomas and loaded the bases for
Luke Zimmerman, who hit a sac fly to extend the lead to 5-1.
• A pair of fielding errors led to a run before Bendo stroked a two-run single to put the Hawks on top, 8-1.
• That's where it remained until Reggie Crawford hit a grand slam for UConn (5-11) in the top of the eighth to bring the visitors within three at 8-5. In the bottom of the frame, Thomas reached on an error that allowed Artz to score a critical insurance run.
• In the ninth, the Huskies sent eight men to the plate in an effort to tie the game. An RBI groundout by Pat Winkel made it a 9-6 game, and a two-out two-run single by Stock brought the visitors to within a run.
•
Noah Weber then came on from the bullpen, and with the tying run 90 feet away, induced a groundout from Kevin Ferrer to end the ballgame.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Weber earned his first save of the season, preserving the win for Zimmerman, who moved to 1-0 after allowing one run on four hits while striking out four in five innings. Simeone took the loss, falling to 0-3. He was charged with three runs on three hits in four-plus innings.
• Artz went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and another driven in, finishing the day a home run short of the cycle. Thomas added a multi-hit day of his own, while Hueth scored two runs.
• Kyler Fedko was 4-for-4 for UConn.
UP NEXT
The Hawks and Huskies will play the rubber game of the weekend set on Sunday. First pitch at Smithson Field is set for noon.
