The Pirates finished off their weekend series against the No. 18 team in the nation, St. John's, dropping a 2-1 decision in Queens which gave the Red Storm the series win.
The Johnnies got on the board in the bottom of the first inning via a Gui Gingras single, however, this did not start a trend for the Red Storm because Pirates starter Zach Pendergast went on to throw a six-inning gem, allowing only one run on four hits.
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Photo via SHU Athletics[/caption]
The Pirates got their first scoring opportunity of the game in the top of the second inning with runners on second and first and nobody out. The Johnnies escaped the jam though, with starting pitcher Michael Lopresti able to get Mikael-Ali Mogues to ground into an inning-altering double play.
Mike Alescio’s game-tying single in the fourth was the only run either team put up until the climactic ninth inning. Following the path set forth by their starter, the Pirates seventh and eighth inning men, Andrew Politi and Anthony Pacillo respectively, pitched sharply and did not allow any runs. On the flip side, St. John’s freshman left-hander Joe Lasorsa pitched the final 3.1 innings, giving up only one hit.
In the bottom of the ninth, Seton Hall coach Rob Sheppard brought on reliever Ryan Testani, in the hopes of pushing the game into extra innings. The team would never get there, however, with St. John’s shortstop Jesse Berardi hitting the game-winning RBI single to drive in Michael Donadio, who had four of St. John’s nine hits on the day.
Lopresti earned the win for his effort, with Testani taking the loss for the Pirates. The win improves St. John’s to 31-7 on the year, while the loss returns Seton Hall to .500 in Big East play and 23-18 on the year.
Next up for Seton Hall is a three-game home series against Creighton that begins on Friday, May 5.
Brendan Finnegan can be reached at brendan.finnegan@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @FinnBrend.
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