MERION STATION, Pa. – Strong pitching and a power surge for the Crimson and Gray helped lead the Saint Joseph's baseball team to a 12-3 win over VCU at Smithson Field on Saturday afternoon.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
• For the second day in a row, Saint Joseph's (12-14 overall, 4-1 Atlantic 10) got on the board in the bottom of the first.Â
Brett Callahan led off the game with a double and scored two batters later on a single by
Ryan Cesarini.
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• Callahan started off the third with a single before
Conlan Wall ripped his first home run of the season out to left to extend the lead to 3-0.
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• Will Bean got VCU (16-15 overall, 2-3 Atlantic 10) on the board with a solo home run in the fifth before a two-run shot by Will Carlone tied the game in the top of the sixth inning.
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• The tie would be short-lived, however, as
Ryan Weingartner singled to start the bottom of the frame before
Justin Igoe drew a walk.Â
Luke Zimmerman followed with an RBI single to score Weingartner and put the Hawks back on top, 4-3.
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•
Ryan Picollo greeted a new VCU pitcher with a single to load the bases for
Luca Trigiani, who sent a rocket over the fence in left for a grand slam and an 8-3 Hawk lead.
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• SJU added insurance in the eighth, as Callahan tripled and scored on a single by Wall before
Nate Thomas hit a three-run blast two batters later to push the advantage to 12-3.
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BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
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Ryan DeSanto got the start for Saint Joseph's, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out nine and walking none in five and a third innings.Â
Cole Stetzar earned the win, going the rest of the way and facing the minimum, allowing just a walk that was erased on a double play in three and two-thirds innings of hitless, shutout relief.
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• Zach Peters took the loss for VCU, allowing six runs on eight hits while fanning three in five-plus innings.
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• Callahan was 3-for-5 on the day with three runs scored, while Cesarini, Picollo, Wall, and Weingartner each notched two hits. Every Hawk in the lineup recorded at least one hit in the game and scored at least one run.
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• Trigiani's four RBI led the way, while Thomas and Wall collected three apiece.
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UP NEXT
The teams will play the series finale on Sunday afternoon. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m.
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