TYSONS, Va. – A pair of late runs made the difference as the seventh-seeded Saint Joseph's baseball team dropped a tight contest to second-seeded VCU, 4-2, in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship at Capital One Park on Tuesday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• VCU (34-21) took the lead in the bottom of the first inning on back-to-back solo home runs by Brandon Eike and Eli Weisner.
 
• Ryan Weingartner got the Hawks on the board in the third, lofting a two-out home run to left to cut the deficit in half.
 
• Saint Joseph's (26-25) drew level in the top of the fourth as Tim Dickinson hit a one-out double and scored on a double by Ryan Picollo.
 
• The Rams manufactured a run in the bottom of the seventh with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Cooper Benzin to take a 3-2 lead before a single by Eli Weisner in the eighth to push the lead to 4-2.
 
• Max Hitman led off the ninth with a walk and was replaced on the basepaths on a fielder's choice by Conlan Wall before Weingartner singled to put the tying run on base, but the Hawks would get no closer.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Brian Curley allowed a run on five hits in five and two-thirds innings of relief to get the win for VCU, while Owen Tappy recorded the final out for the save.  Colin Yablonski was charged with two runs on two hits in two and a third innings to take the loss.
 
• Neither starter figured in the decision; Domenic Picone allowed two runs and four hits and struck out five in four and two-thirds innings for the Hawks, while Nick Cosentino allowed a run on three hits in three innings for the Rams.
 
• Weingartner reached base three times, notching two hits and a walk.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will play an elimination game on Wednesday night against either fifth-seeded George Washington or sixth-seeded UMass at 7:00 p.m. at Capital One Park.