Despite leaving Puerto Rico with a victory, Seton Hall baseball traveled back to South Orange with heavier hearts than usual.
Poised to play three games in the Puerto Rico Challenge, SHU lost their season opener to Boston College 6-4 on Feb. 13 after the offense fell apart towards the second half.
The Pirates quickly bounced back against Manhattan University, though, with a 7-2 victory over the Jaspers the next day on the back of a terrific outing from sophomore left-handed pitcher Mason Christopher.
The Hall settled for playing just two games on the island due to the cancellation of their matchup with N.C. State on Feb. 15.
After going down 3-2 in the top half of the fifth inning in their first game, junior utility player Justin Ford took the lead right back for the Pirates after sending a first-pitch fastball over the wall for a two-run shot.
There was jubilation throughout SHU’s dugout—until Ford rounded first base.
The No. 3 hitter for The Hall landed awkwardly while jumping for joy, and it was instantly clear that Ford suffered a severe lower leg injury, which sucked the energy right out of the Pirates’ offense.
Before the injury, things were going well for the Pirates offensively. Their first run
of the game came thanks to an infield single from junior first baseman and Richmond University transfer Joey Wilga, which led to an error from the Golden Eagles’ starting
pitcher. The Pirates tallied a second run in the first frame after a sacrifice-fly from junior second baseman Nick Tomasetto, which scored sophomore outfielder Aiden Dill.
But once that fourth run scored via the Ford homer, SHU mustered up one more hit the rest of the way. The Boston College bullpen collected 15 strikeouts while giving up five hits on their way to a 6-2 victory.
The opposite turn of events happened the next day when the Pirates faced off against Manhattan.
Mason Christopher took the mound in the third inning of a 1-1 ball game, and absolutely
dealt. The six-foot-three left-hander mowed down the Jasper lineup, tallying 10 strikeouts while giving up four hits and one walk in five innings of work, earning his first win of the 2026 season.
Christopher had a lot of success locating his fastball at the beginning of counts, which led to him getting ahead of batters all night long. The sophomore threw a first-pitch strike against 13 of the 20 batters that he faced.
Offensively, a lot of the action happened in the fifth inning once again,this time without any sorrow added to the blessing for SHU. The Pirates’ offense rallied for three runs on four hits, extending their lead to 5-1. Junior infielder Shea Grady and fellow junior outfielder Jake Lopez led off the frame with back-to-back singles to set up yet another junior, infielder Gabe Cavazzoni, who then delivered an RBI double.
Afterwards, Tomasetto provided a quality at-bat with his second RBI of the season coming in a groundout, and Wilga singled to center to cap things off for the Pirates’ first win of the season.
Overall, the SHU pitching staff had a solid trip to Ponce, Puerto Rico. The Pirates' arms combined for 22 strikeouts and 11 walks while surrendering seven earned runs between the two games.
BIG EAST Preseason Pitcher of the Year sophomore Steven Svenson threw 4.2 innings and gave up two runs against Boston College in his start. Outings like Christopher’s and Svenson’s can lead to a lot of wins for the Hall this year, something that the Pirates’ coaching staff is likely flying away happy about.
Other standout performances during the weekend for SHU include Gabe Cavazzoni, who went 3-for-6 with four runs scored and two bases stolen.
Cavazzoni scored each time he got on base, excelling in his role as the lead-off hitter under head coach Rob Sheppard in his 22nd season at the helm.
Wilga also got on base four times, while Dill got on three times. Lopez had three hits in his first start for the Pirates after being called on to replace Ford following his injury.
Looking for their first season over .500 since 2023, the Pirates come back to New Jersey for some rest before traveling down to South Carolina for the Swig and Swine Classic. They will play their first of four games on Feb. 20, when they face George Mason University (0-4).
Manuel Pereira is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports Section. He can be reached at manuel.pereira@sttudent.shu.edu.
