Seton Hall came back from their previous loss against the Hofstra Pride at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium on Wednesday, April 30, defeating them 13-2.
Sophomore Gabe Cavazzoni and graduate Marco Ali were standouts in the game, with both players recording a triple while Ali also hit a double. Their batting performance accounted for five total RBIs together. Also making contributions were sophomore outfielder Aiden Robbins, who recorded two RBIs, as well as senior catcher Jimmy Brennan, who scored one run. Pirates starting left-handed pitcher Patrick Benn earned the win on the mound.
Hofstra struck first, with senior outfielder Luke Masiuk leading off and reaching first base. Masiuk caught the Pirates off their game, as he stole second with two outs. The Pirates got their third out after a fly out from the Pride. On offense, Robbins would be the first on base for Seton Hall following a wild pitch. After a fielder’s choice, the Pride got their last out off a ground out from Pirates sophomore catcher Kevin Milewski. The first two frames of the game ended scoreless.
With Benn taking the mound, Seton Hall secured three straight groundouts on Hofstra. The Pirates then saw their second man on base with Jimmy Brennan earning a walk. Ali would put them on the board with a double in right field, with Brennan coming in to score. Cavazzoni continued to build the Pirate lead with a triple scoring Ali. The Pirates’ run came to an end on a fly out from Robbins, as they led 2-0 by the end of the second inning.
Benn put three down in the top of the third, bringing Seton Hall back to bat in no time. The Pirates found the bases loaded with Nick Ferri at the plate, who hit a sacrifice fly to increase the Pirate lead to 3-0. The Pirates’ hitting continued with a line drive from Brennan into left field, increasing their lead to four. The Pirates loaded the bases once more in the inning with two outs. Hofstra freshman pitcher Christian Rasmussen walked Cavazzoni for yet another Pirate score, as they led 5-0. An ensuing wild pitch gave Seton Hall another run in the inning. A double from Robbins put the Pirates up 8-0 in the top of the fourth. The Pride managed to escape the inning, but Seton Hall came out on top and managed to score six runs in the fourth inning alone.
Hofstra recorded their second hit of their game off another lead-off hit from Masiuk. Hofstra senior center fielder Dom Camera made contact, and the Pride got on the board following a fielding error from Seton Hall. Following an outfield double from freshman catcher CJ Griggs, Camera crossed home for the Pride’s second run of the game. That was the last of the action for the inning, as the Pride flew out shortly after. Both teams endured a scoring drought until the bottom of the sixth, when the Pirates ran away with the lead.
Seton Hall’s sixth inning began with a double from Soldra, who went on to steal third, putting the Pirates in scoring position. Ferri took a pitch to the right shoulder, putting men on the corners. A fielding error from the Pride brought Soldra and Ferri in to score, with the Pirate lead drifting farther out of reach. A triple from Ali put the Pirates’ lead in the double-digits, bringing in Pacheco and Brennan to score. A ground out from Cavazzoni gave Ali enough time to cross home and put the Pirates up 13-2. The Pride entered the seventh inning stretch imperiled by the 10-run rule.
Seton Hall sophomore reliever Jayson Torres recorded a strikeout to kick off the top of the seventh. Junior infielder Bryce Curry then managed to get on first base, with freshman outfielder Michael Craig following suit with another single. Hofstra loaded the bases following a walk from Torres as they sought to mount a comeback. However, Torres recorded his second strikeout of the inning off a sinker. He then got out of the inning with a fly out that gave Seton Hall the win, 13-2.
The Pirates’ overall record stands at 20-28, with their at-home record increasing to 14-6 after a win and two losses against Xavier in a three-game conference series from May 2 to May 4. They will face Georgetown in a three-game conference series starting on Friday, May 9 at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium.
Christian Hui is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at christian.hui@student.shu.edu.
