MERION STATION, Pa. – An 11-run third inning proved too much to come back from as the Saint Joseph's baseball team fell to Rutgers, 15-9, at Smithson Field on Tuesday afternoon.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (2-3) took the lead in the bottom of the second inning.  After walks to Ryan Picollo and Owen Petrich to start the frame, Carter Jagiela ripped a double to left center to plate the game's first run.  Another walk, to Luke Zimmerman, loaded the bases and chased Rutgers starter Justin Sweeney from the game.
 
• Three batters later, reliever Sonny Fauci fielded a ground ball off the bat of Conlan Wall; his throw to first hit Wall, allowing Petrich and Jagiela to score.  Another throwing error on the play then brought home Zimmerman to make it a 4-0 game before Wall scored on a wild pitch to push the lead to five.
 
• Rutgers (6-1) answered with a big third inning.  Eight hits, two walks, a hit batter, and an error led to 11 runs for the Scarlet Knights and six-run lead.
 
• The visitors would push the advantage to 14-5 with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth.
 
• The Hawks clawed three of the runs back in the bottom of the fifth as Wall reached on a single before Ryan Weingartner ripped a two-run home run; two batters later, Picollo hit a solo shot to being the Hawks back within six at 14-8.
 
• Rutgers plated another run in the top of the sixth before Brandon Drapeau closed out the scoring with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the ninth.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Fauci was credited with the win to improve to 3-0, while SJU starter Colin Yablonski took the loss, falling to 1-1.
 
• Weingartner homered for the third consecutive game, hitting his third long ball in four days as part of a 3-for-5 day at the plate.
 
• Luke Gabrysh tossed three innings of shutout relief, striking out two.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks head to Bucknell for a doubleheader on Saturday before closing out the series with one game against the Bison at Smithson Field on Sunday.