MERION STATION, Pa. – The Saint Joseph's baseball team rebounded in style on Saturday, ending a two-game skid with a 17-9 win over George Mason in the opening game of a doubleheader at Smithson Field. The Hawks picked up where they left off in the nightcap, blasting the Patriots by a 15-6 score.
GAME 1: Saint Joseph's 17, George Mason 9
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (25-13 overall, 16-2 Atlantic 10) erased the bad taste of Friday's loss right away on Saturday, scoring five times in the first.
Joey Gale singled to lead off the game and
Blake Primrose drew a walk;
Richard Beggy,
Joey Pagano, and
Jason Janesko then hit RBI singles in succession to stake the Hawks to a 3-0 lead. After a walk to
Tim Dickinson loaded the bases,
Jack Saker ripped a single to score two and make it a 5-0 game.
• The Patriots scored twice in the second and twice in the third to cut the deficit to one, but the Hawks answered with an eight-spot in the bottom of the third. Janesko walked, Dickinson was hit by a pitch, and Saker walked to load the bases with one out for
Carson Applegate, who singled home a run and chased started Diego Cardenas.
• Reliever Tyson Willis then balked home a run before throwing a pitch; his first offering was then a wild pitch that allowed another run to score. Gale would then single to score Applegate and make it 9-4. Primrose and Beggy then walked to load the bases for Pagano; after a lengthy mound conference, Pagano took the first pitch for a ride into the bullpen for a grand slam and a 13-4 Hawk lead after three.
• George Mason (18-19 overall, 10-8 Atlantic 10) responded with three more in the top of the fourth, but the Hawks answered again in the bottom of the frame. A walk to Saker and singles by Applegate and Gale loaded the bases for Primrose, who unloaded them with a longball to left for the Hawks' second grand slam in as many innings and a 17-7 lead.
• Things settled down from there, in large part due to
Sam Greer, who came out of the bullpen for the Hawks and retired eight in a row and 11 out of 12 at one point. The Patriots added a pair of consolation runs in the top of the ninth to set the final margin.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Greer earned the win with five and two-thirds innings of relief, allowing just the two runs while scattering four hits. Cardenas took the loss, allowing nine runs on six hits and four walks in two and a third innings.
• Pagano was 3-for-5 with five RBI and two runs scored, while Primrose scored three times and drove in four runs. Gale added three hits and scored three runs as well.
• The Hawks batted around twice in the game, sending 10 batters to the plate in the first and 12 in the third.
GAME 2: Saint Joseph's 15, George Mason 6
HOW IT HAPPENED
• It was another early onslaught for the Hawks in the nightcap; Gale and
Alex Kelsey singled before a sacrifice fly by Beggy gave SJU a 1-0 lead.
• Janesko then singled and stole second to start the second; he came in to score on a double by Dickinson.
Alex Venezia followed with a two-run home run to extend the lead; after an Applegate single, Gale followed with another two-run shot to make it a 6-0 game after two.
• Saint Joseph's piled on seven more in the third. A one-out double by Janesko brought Dickinson to the plate, who ripped a two-run home run of his own to push the lead to right. Venezia then singled to chase starter Jake Drumm.
• Reliever Carter Kelsey was then greeted by three consecutive singles from Applegate, Gale, and Kelsey to leave the bases loaded for Primrose and the score at 9-0.
• The score quickly became 13-0 as Primrose launched his second grand slam of the day – the Hawks' third in nine innings – and his third in seven days over the right field fence.
• Janesko and Venezia were hit by pitches before a single by Applegate loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth. A passed ball scored Janesko and an RBI groundout by Kelsey pushed the advantage to 15-0.
• The Patriots managed to stave off a run-rule defeat with six runs in the top of the seventh, but there would be no further scoring.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
•
Luke Parise allowed three hits and struck out two in six shutout innings to improve to 5-1 on the season. Drumm was shelled for nine runs on 10 hits in two and a third innings to take the loss.
• Applegate was 4-for-5 with two runs scored in the second game, while Gale was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and three driven in as well.
• Primrose added four RBI in the nightcap to total eight for the day, while Dickinson drove in three in the second game. Venezia added two RBI and three runs scored on a 3-for-4 day.
• The Hawks scored in the first inning of both games; in 18 conference games, Saint Joseph's has gotten on the board in the first inning of 14 of them.
UP NEXT
The Hawks will meet Penn at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park in the championship game of the Liberty Bell Classic.
