MERION STATION, Pa. – It was a back-and-forth affair at Smithson Field on Saturday afternoon, and in the end, the Saint Joseph's baseball team came away with a 6-5 win over George Washington.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• As they have in each conference game to date, the Hawks scored in the first inning.  Saturday, it was RBI singles by Richard Beggy and Jason Janesko that scored Alex Kelsey and Blake Primrose, respectively, to stake SJU to a 2-0 lead.
 
• George Washington (8-13 overall, 2-3 Atlantic 10) took the lead in the top half of the second thanks to three runs on four hits, a sacrifice fly, and an RBI groundout.
 
• Saint Joseph's (10-10 overall, 5-0 Atlantic 10) drew level in the fourth when Janesko started the inning with a home run.
 
• A Cristino Tufano single and an error were followed by a Conlon Walker sac fly to put the Revolutionaries back in front in the sixth, but the Hawks equalized after Janesko doubled and then scored on a wild pitch.
 
• Another sac fly in the top of the seventh off the bat of Charlie Rogan put GW back on top, but the Hawks would go ahead in the bottom of the frame.  Joey Pagano hit a two-out single and was replaced on the basepaths by Ben Peterson; after Janesko reached on an error, Alex Venezia singled home both runners to give the Hawks a 6-5 lead.
 
• The visitors would put two on with two out in the ninth, but Rogan popped out to Beggy in foul territory down the third base line to end the game.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Andrew Gaines recorded the final nine outs of the game, allowing just one runner to reach while striking out four to earn the win and improve to 3-0 on the season, while Colin Lebel allowed three runs on six hits in three innings to take the loss and fall to 0-1.
 
• Janesko was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two more driven in.  Venezia added two RBI on the go-ahead hit, while Carson Applegate enjoyed a three-hit day as well.
 
• Every starter in the Hawk lineup recorded at least one hit on the day.
 
• The 5-0 start to conference play is the best in the Atlantic 10 era and matches the best in program history; the 1974 team started 5-0 in the Mid-Atlantic Conference en route to the MAC title, the NCAA Tournament, and eventually, the SJU Baseball Hall of Fame.
 
UP NEXT
The series concludes on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.