Freshman Nick Payero took a perfect game into the seventh inning as Seton Hall defeated Lafayette 7-1 at Kamine Stadium.
In his best game of the season, Payero retired 18 straight batters before a leadoff walk in the seventh ended the perfect game bid. The pitcher still didn’t allow a hit, giving up just one unearned run over 6.2 innings with one walk and six strikeouts to help the Pirates to their 20th win of the season.
Both Tyler Shedler-McAvoy and Steve Grober drove in three runs apiece to improve their season RBI totals to 26 and 23 respectively. Grober also contributed a run of his own in the top of the fourth inning and went 2-for-4 on the night while Shedler-McAvoy reached base four times, going 3-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base. Shedler-McAvoy also extended his team-best hit streak to 11 games with another strong performance.
Seton Hall broke the scoreless tie in the top of the third inning through Chris Villa who hit a bunt single followed by sophomore Jerry Huntzinger doubling up with a hit into a gap of right-center field. Shedler-McAvoy pushed the score to 2-0 in favor of The Hall with a two-RBI single.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Pirates doubled their lead on an RBI single by Grober and a bases loaded infield single by Shedler-McAvoy. The latter, which was a bang-bang play at first base, extended Seton Hall’s lead to 4-0 on the night.
Grober struck again in the top of the fifth inning. His two-run single scored Sebastiano Santorelli and Connor Hood and gave the Pirates a commanding six-run lead.
Seton Hall will return to action on May 3 when it travels to Cincinnati for a Big East game at Xavier.
Justin Sousa can be reached at justin.sousa@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @ JustinSousa99.
