MERION STATION, Pa. – The Saint Joseph's baseball team clinched its fourth consecutive Atlantic 10 postseason berth on Friday after splitting a pair with George Washington at Smithson Field.  In the opener, the Revolutionaries scored three times in the ninth to take a 4-1 result; in the nightcap, the Hawks flipped the script, with three late runs securing a 4-1 win of their own and a berth in the Atlantic 10 Championship.
 
Game 1: George Washington 4, Saint Joseph's 1
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Neither team lit up the scoreboard until the fifth.  The visitors took the lead on an RBI double by Nick Mullen, but the Hawks tied the game in the bottom half after Luke Zimmerman reached on a two-out error, stole second base, and scored on a double by Joey Gale.
 
• The Hawks would get the go-ahead run into scoring position in the eighth, but it was George Washington (30-24 overall, 13-11 Atlantic 10) that found the winning runs, plating three in the top of the ninth on a groundout by McGwire Tuffy and a single by Mullen.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Brandon Siegenthaler tossed a perfect inning and a third of relief to get the win, while Colin Yablonski allowed three runs, two of them unearned, in an inning of relief to take the loss.
 
• Will McCausland was strong in a no-decision, allowing a run on five hits in six and two-thirds innings.  Michael Foltz worked seven and two-thirds for GW, allowing a run on five hits as well.
 
• Ryan Cesarini had a two-hit game for the Hawks.
 
Game 2: Saint Joseph's 4, George Washington 1
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (26-24 overall, 13-11 Atlantic 10) got on the board in the bottom of the third after a pair of GW errors led to a run.
 
• A two-out single by Tuffy in the fourth leveled things for the Revolutionaries.
 
• The Hawks went back on top in the sixth.  Conlan Wall led off with a single and stole second base with two outs; Owen Petrich then hit an infield single that led to a throwing error, and Wall scampered home with the go-ahead run.
 
• Tim Dickinson then led off the seventh with a walk before going to third on a single by Carter Jagiela.  Zimmerman followed with a single to double the lead; two batters later, a fielder's choice by Wall brought home Jagiela to make it a 4-1 game.
 
• Yablonski came on in the ninth and hit Tuffy with a pitch before sending down three consecutive batters to secure the win and punch SJU's ticket to the postseason.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Yablonski saved the win for Luke Gabrysh, who struck out four while allowing a hit and a walk in four shutout innings of relief.  GW starter Graham Jeffries took the loss, allowing two unearned runs on two hits in six innings.
 
• Ryan DeSanto worked four innings in his final start of the regular season, allowing a run on five hits while fanning three.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will compete in the Atlantic 10 Championship at Capital One Park in Tysons, Virginia, beginning on Tuesday.  The full tournament bracket and schedule will be released by the Atlantic 10 after the completion of the regular season on Saturday.