AMHERST, Mass. – The Saint Joseph's baseball team split a doubleheader at UMass on Saturday afternoon, dropping the opener, 13-12, before winning the nightcap, 16-13.
 
GAME 1: UMass 13, Saint Joseph's 12
 
A late rally by the Minutemen led the hosts to a 13-12 win in Saturday's opener.  Brendan Hueth had four hits and four runs driven in, while Nate Thomas added three of each.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (13-12 overall, 1-2 Atlantic 10) opened an early lead, scoring three times in the first on a double by Thomas, a fielder's choice by Hueth, and a single by Brandon Drapeau.
 
• The Minutemen got one back in the bottom of the frame, but the Hawks responded with a six-spot in the top of the second.  Singles by Max Hitman, Brett Callahan, and Jake Artz loaded the bases for Thomas, who followed with a single of his own to plate a pair.  Andrew Cossetti was hit by a pitch to reload the bases for Hueth, whose double scored two more before a sacrifice fly by Drapeau and a double by Ryan Cesarini made it 9-1.
 
• UMass (10-9-1 overall, 2-1 Atlantic 10) scored three in the bottom of the inning, but SJU tacked on singletons in the third and fourth on an RBI double by Hueth and a bases-loaded walk by Artz, respectively.
 
• The hosts would score five times over the next two frames to cut the margin to 11-9 before going ahead, 13-11, with a four-spot in the bottom of the eighth.  Cossetti hit his league-leading 12^th home run of the season with one out of the ninth, and Hueth reached third base with two out, but the Hawks could not complete the comeback.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Max LeBlanc tossed two innings of shutout relief to earn the win for the Minutemen, while Jack Pawloski notched the save.  Ryan Devine took the loss for SJU.
 
• The Minutemen benefited from seven unearned runs, as the Hawks made seven errors in the game.
 
• In another offensive showing, the teams combined for 33 hits in the game.  Hueth's four were a game-high, as were his four RBI.
 
GAME 2: Saint Joseph's 16, UMass 13
 
Luca Trigiani's eighth-inning home run was the difference as the Hawks and Minutemen put on another display of prodigious offense in a 16-13 affair that gave SJU its first conference win of the season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Hawks scored in the first inning for the fifth consecutive game, as Callahan and Thomas singled before a sacrifice fly from Cossetti gave the Hawks an early 1-0 lead.
 
• The Minutemen drew level in the bottom half, but a leadoff home run in the second by Drapeau and a double play grounder by Trigiani made it a 3-1 ballgame.  UMass would then score five times in the bottom of the frame to take a 6-3 lead into the third.
 
• The Hawks offense kicked back into gear in the fourth, hanging five on the scoreboard to take the lead.  An RBI double by Callahan and a two-run single by Conlan Wall tied the score before a two-run triple by Hueth put the Hawks on top, 8-6.
 
• A two-run single by Trigiani in the fifth extended the lead to 10-6 before an RBI single by Tim Cavanaugh and a two-run home run from Trigiani made it a 13-6 game in the seventh.
 
• The Minutemen then scored seven in the bottom of the frame to tie it, but Trigiani went deep again for a three-run shot to make it 16-13 in the top of the eighth.
 
• UMass got a runner on in each of the last two innings, but Matt McShane kept them off the scoreboard to earn the win.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• McShane notched the victory, while Zach Clevenger took the loss for the Minutemen.  Mike Falco had a strong outing in relief for the Hawks, allowing just a hit and a walk to go with seven strikeouts in four and a third shutout innings.
 
• Trigiani was 4-for-5 with seven RBI in the game, while both Cavanaugh and Liam Bendo scored four times apiece.  Cole Hebble had five hits for UMass to lead all hitters.
 
• The teams combined for 33 hits in Saturday's nightcap as well for a total of 105 hits and 84 runs in the series.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks are slated to host Lehigh on Tuesday afternoon.