Saint Joseph's University

TYSONS, Va. – The Saint Joseph's baseball team saw its run at the Atlantic 10 Championship come to an end on Saturday afternoon as the Hawks fell to VCU, 13-3, in the final of the consolation bracket at Capital One Park.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• VCU (35-23) took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on Friday night on a Jacob Lee double and a Nick Flores single before the rain – which had fallen steadily throughout the entirety of the day's first three games – intensified to the point that the game was suspended until Saturday morning.
 
• Christian Coppola came on after the resumption of play to finish the first and kept the Rams off the board through the fifth.  The Hawks got one in the third after Alex Kelsey walked, stole second, went to third on an error, and came in to score on a single by Joey Pagano.
 
• Saint Joseph's (36-20) drew level in the fourth on a solo home run by Tim Dickinson.
 
• A double by Alec Warden in the bottom of the sixth made it a 3-2 game, but the Hawks tied the game in the seventh.  Carson Applegate ripped a two-out double to the left field corner and after advancing on a single by Joey Gale, scored in a single by Kelsey to make it 3-3.
 
• Unfortunately for the Crimson and Gray, the Rams put 10 on the board in the bottom of the seventh to secure their place in the championship final.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Zachary Peters was the winning pitcher for VCU, while Andrew Gaines took the loss for the Hawks.
 
• Coppola had a strong outing, fanning seven in four and a third innings of relief.
 
• Pagano had a two-hit game for SJU, driving in a run as well, while Kelsey and Dickinson each had a run scored and a run driven in.  Kesley ended the season on a 12-game hitting streak.
 
• The Hawks finished the season with a school-record 36 wins and the program's second Atlantic 10 regular season title.  The Hawks also won the Liberty Bell Classic for the fourth time.