SPORTS
Keys to SHU baseball hitting their stride
By John Fanta | April 15The good news for the Seton Hall baseball team is that the Pirates enter the third weekend of Big East play with a 4-2 record in the league and will host three of their final four league series. The bad news? The Hall’s offense has been on and off, and the Pirates are looking for better starting pitching. While it was a midweek contest that really doesn’t impact SHU at this point, Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to Monmouth was another display of the Pirates’ offensive woes. The team left 11 on base as a whole and could not take advantage of a strong eight-inning performance from left-hander Anthony Pacillo. Over the weekend at St. John’s, the Pirates’ offensive inconsistencies were present on Friday and Saturday. The opportunities were on the table both days for SHU, but the team only combined for 11 hits and five runs. While Seton Hall scored four runs in Saturday’s loss, they only compiled six hits. The floodgates opened in Sunday’s 19-4 victory, but the bats just can’t seem to figure themselves out. Only one everyday player for the Pirates, Kyle Grimm, is hitting over .300. The key to regain an offensive rhythm is for the dynamic duo of power hitters D.J. Ruhlman and Sal Annunziata to start rolling. While they have combined for seven home runs this season, the two have struck out 56 times. While the bullpen offered a bright spot last weekend, the starting rotation struggled on Friday and Saturday. Sophomore Zach Prendergast and freshman Shane McCarthy went just four and three innings, respectively, in each of their starts. The tough transition for this year’s team is that there really is not a dominant ace in the rotation. Big East Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year Luke Cahill made three starts early on in the season but has not been able to live up to the hype. This weekend, Butler will pay a visit to Owen T. Carroll Field. The Bulldogs did not play in Big East action last week, but were swept in the first weekend of April by St. John’s. For a Seton Hall offense that is ailing, this weekend may be just what the doctor ordered as Butler boasts the worst team earned run average in the Big East at 5.62. But, for what the Bulldogs lack in pitching, they make up for with the bats. Butler leads the conference with a team batting average of .283. This weekend’s showdown will feature a battle between two infielders who know how to get it done at the plate and with the leather. While Grimm leads the Pirates with a batting average of .367, Butler second baseman Cole Malloy is fourth in the Big East, hitting .368. Friday night’s game gets underway at 6 p.m. at Owen T. Carroll Field. Follow @SetonianSports for the in-game updates.
Undefeated St. John's next up for softball
By Neal McHale | April 15Coming off a 12-2 loss to Rutgers, the Pirates softball team will continue a seven-game home stand on Saturday, when they host St. John’s. The Pirates (17-21, 6,5) enter the meeting with their Big East geographical rival after winning two of their last three conference-series. The Pirates took all three games versus Villanova at home on March 29 and 30. Then, took two out of three at Creighton on April 11 and 12. St. John’s though enters undefeated in conference-play, 18-13 on the season. There’s no intimidation though for head coach Paige Smith ahead of the match-up. “We play our best games against teams like that,” Smith said. “I’m excited.” Smith would not tip her hand to who the starter would be to open the series on Saturday. One arm that will likely be considered is Danielle DeStaso. The senior pitcher went four innings, striking out two and allowing just one hit in a four-inning performance to pick up her eighth win of the season. The win was coupled with a pair of home runs as the senior pitcher went 3-for-3 behind the bat. The performance didn’t surprise Smith. “That’s what (DeStaso) has been doing since she was ten years old,” Smith said. “She’s one of the premier hitters in the conference…When she’s on, she’s nearly impossible to hit.” Smith also added that DeStaso has been coming through at the right time. That will extend to this weekend as the blue and white will take on a conference-best .314 batting average. Seton Hall is ranked fourth in the conference at .277. The Pirates though are second in slugging percentage in the conference at .471. Helping their cause in that category is a combination of the experienced and the freshman in the form of senior Sara Haefeli and freshman Alexis Walkden. Haefeli is averaging .306 at the plate with 26 runs and 34 hits to go along with 13 homers on the season. Haefeli also boasts a .721 slugging percent, a major increase from last season. “I’ve just been seeing the ball really well lately,” Haefeli said. She also talked about the confidence she’s gotten in her role as a leader. “Something about that makes you confident in yourself and know that your teammates sort of look up to you in a way,” she said. Haefeli will face St. John’s for a final time this weekend and knows the importance of going head-to-head with an undefeated team. “This is a huge series for us,” she said. “It’s just really important to go out there and play our best. When we do play our best, I think that we can be unstoppable.” Walkden has been a welcomed-addition to the Pirates’ lineup this season, accounting for a team-leading 29 runs in 100 at-bats on the season. Her home run on Tuesday in a the team’s 12-2 loss to Rutgers, was the freshman’s 16th of the season. The Cibolo, Texas-native is eager for the opportunity to go against St. John’s for the first time in her collegiate career. “We have every opportunity to beat this team,” Walkden said. “Even though they’re undefeated, I think it’ll make winning the game even sweeter.” Walkden, too, has been hitting with authority in her rookie season. A .900 slugging percentage to be exact. “Every time I go up to bat I know what pitch I want to see,” Walkden said. “Eventually, you either walk me or you have to throw a pitch in the zone that I can hit....”I’m just trying to be very disciplined when I go up to bat and swing at pitches I like to see.” Smith was ‘disappointed’ after Tuesday’s 12-2 loss, the team lacked energy. “I didn’t think we played with the energy we needed to,” Smith said. “I didn’t feel that typical Seton Hall softball energy.” That energy will be needed against a tough conference-meeting. The series with the Red Storm will begin Saturday, April 18 with a double-header starting at 12 p.m. The second game will begin at 2:30 p.m. The final game will be on Sunday, April 19 at 12:00 p.m.
Men’s golf finishes tied for second at 2015 Princeton Invitational
By Sean Saint Jacques | April 14With the Big East tournament looming, the Pirate golf team finished the regular season strong with a second place finish in Princeton over the weekend. The Pirates were led by the solid play of Kevin O’Brien who helped bring The Hall from fourth place to second in the final round with an even-par, 70 on Sunday. O’Brien finished at two-over for the tournament, which was good enough for a 72-70-142 for the weekend and tied for fourth place out of 72 golfers. This was the second ever top-five finish in O’Brien’s young career and one of his lowest scores ever in a tournament. Temple’s Brandon Matthews took home the title and finished three strokes better than O’Brien. Seton Hall finished tied for second with a 26-over-par tournament and finished 15 strokes higher than the Yale Bulldogs who took home the team title with an 11-over-par performance. As a team, the Pirates finished with a second round score of 289, which was eight strokes better than the first round total of 297. That gave The Hall a total of 586 for the weekend and momentum as they head into the conference tournament. As far as the Big East rivals go, the Pirates finished 14 strokes lower than St. John’s and 18 strokes better than Georgetown. The blue and white continue to play well in tournaments with fields that include conference rivals. At Princeton, the Pirates got three other solid final rounds that helped propel them to a top-three spot. JT Harper had a solid tournament as he shot 72-73-145 and finished second on the team. Harper was tied for the team lead after round one and continued to play well on Sunday. Sophomore Lloyd Jefferson Go also finished his tournament with a 73 following his first round score of 74 and finished at seven-over-par. After struggling with a 79 in round one, Ryan Snouffer also had a 73 on Sunday and improved his score to 12-over-par for the weekend. Cory Wilson finished with a 22-over-par, 83-79-162 as the Pirate golf team is showing that they are getting hot at the right time. This tournament was split between two golf courses at the Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa. which hosted the first round and the East Course at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., that hosted the U.S. Open as recently as two years ago, had the last 18 holes. Seton Hall has now finished in the top-three of their last three tournaments and it was the fourth time they had done that this season. Other than the three recent top-three finishes, the last time The Hall finished towards the top was at the Navy Fall Classic where the Pirates won back in September. Now they are in search of a conference championship. The Pirates now gear up for the Big East tournament in two weeks as the confidence and level of play rises for this team. Seton Hall will play for the Big East title on April 26-28 at Callawassie Island Goff Club in Okatie, S.C.
Senior Day spoiled for Seton Hall tennis
By Neal McHale | April 12The Pirates honored Anna Guryanova and Madison Shoemaker as part of the team’s Senior Day festivities on Saturday, but the day was spoiled by a 7-0 loss to St. John’s. On the doubles side junior Isabell Klingert and freshman Luize Stike started the Pirates off with an 8-6 victory over St. John’s Stephanie Elegren and Anatasia Polyakova. The Red Storm though would prevail in the next two matches including a tiebreaker to win the point. The Pirates were also blanked on the individual side. Junior Hamah Liljekvist fell short losing to Anna Morozva in the final set 10-5. Freshman Luize Strike was retired after being down 6-2, 3-0 to Anastasia Polyakova. Junior Juila Keenan lost in straight sets 6-2, 6-3. Freshman Marisa Quevedo did as well, 6-3, 6-2. Klingert lost for only the second time in 18 matches on the individual side as she lost in straight sets to Elgegren 6-4, 6-2. Freshman Katie Kim was the Pirates last hope to secure a point as she faced Jadie Collins. Kim started in a hole, unable to win a game in the first set, falling 6-love. She fought valiantly to tie the match before Collins won the third 7-5 to give the Red Storm another win to complete the sweep of the Pirates. The loss was just the second for the Pirates (7-9, 2-3) in the last six matches while the Red Storm improved to a perfect 4-0 against conference competition. The Pirates will close out the regular season next weekend traveling to take on No.33 DePaul on Saturday, April 18 before closing at Marquette the following day.
Softball splits Saturday doubleheader with Creighton
By Staff Writer | April 12The Pirates softball team split their doubleheader on Saturday versus Creighton, closing out the second of two with a 9-7 Pirates win. A pair of solo home runs helped the Pirates stake claim to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. With two down, Alexis Walkden sent her 13th of the year over the wall in left, and in the very next at-bat Sara Haefeli matched with a solo shot, her 13th of the season. From there, Danielle DeStaso was cruising on the mound, allowing just one hit and a pair of base runners through the first three innings before the Bluejays struck for three in the fourth. Creighton’s Liz Dike homered to deep center field to cut the SHU lead in half, then an inopportune-error with two outs prolonged the inning. Allie Reinhart hit a fly ball to left in foul territory, but Jackie DiPietro was unable to make a play. Given a second chance, Reinart sent a two-run shot to left center, giving the Bluejays a 3-2 lead. The Pirates grounded out five runs in the fifth, needing just three hits to do so, while sending 10 batters to the plate. After DeStaso drew a bases loaded walk to score Yasmin Harrel from third and tie the game, DiPietro hit a two-RBI single into right to put the Pirates back on top. The lead would not hold. Dike struck again for Creighton, this time hitting a grand slam out to left for her 10th home run of the season. That was the end of the day for DeStaso, as Lauren Fischer came in to close out the inning, neutralizing the Bluejay attack. After giving up a hit to the first batter she faced, she retired eight of the final 10 she faced, yielding just two hits and a walk in 2.2 innings of work. Walkden’s game-winning home run in the top of the sixth came under some strange circumstances. Creighton pitcher Micaela Whitney had hit Whitney Jones to lead off the inning, then threw three-straight balls to Walkden, prompting Creighton to enter Sydnee Eck mid at-bat. Eck proceeded to serve one right down the middle for Walkden, and she made them pay with a liner out to left center, her second of the game. With Fischer in a groove on the mound, this time the two-run cushion was enough, as she improved to 7-8 with the win. Harrell recorded a base hit in both games to extend her hitting streak to nine in a row. In addition to her solo home run, Haefeli also drew two walks, scoring twice, DiPietro went 2-for-4 with the big RBI single in the fifth, and freshman Alyssa Prukop came up with a pinch hit RBI single as well. In game one of the softball double-header Seton Hall (16-10, 5-5) was hurt by a big fifth-inning rally. After seeing a 2-0 lead slip away in the bottom of the third, SHU yielded four runs on five hits in the fifth as the Bluejays (17-11, 3-6) took a 6-2 lead. In the top of the second, a couple of walks gave the Pirates runners at first and second with two outs for Jones, who singled into left center to score Sara Foster and give SHU a 1-0 lead. Haefeli led off the top of the third and proceeded to tack on an additional run to the SHU lead, sending a solo home run on a line over the wall in left center. After that the Hall found trouble. SHU starter DeStaso walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, leading to a relief appearance from Casey Moses. A hit batter and groundout to second brought two runs home, resulting in a 2-2 tie heading into the fourth. While Creighton pitcher Micaela Whitney went through a stretch of retiring seven straight batters for Creighton, the Bluejay bats started to heat up. CU strung together five hits in the bottom of the fifth, including a stretch of four in a row that started with back-to-back doubles. The Bluejays took their first lead, 3-2, as Allie Reinhart doubled in Jen Daro, and scored thanks to a two-base hit to the gap in left center from Anna O'Gorman.Lauren Fischer came in to relieve Moses and was able to retire Liz Dike and Daro to put an end to Creighton's big inning. Seton Hall would pull within three as Joelle Arrante doubled to center field, scoring Jackie DiPietro in the top of the sixth, but that was all the offense they could generate down the stretch. Moses fell to 2-3 with the loss, while Whitney allowed two earned runs in 5.2 innings to improve to 9-6. Reinhart went 3-for-3 with two RBI, two runs scored and two doubles to pace the Creighton offense. The Pirates are back in action to finish off the three game series with Creighton tomorrow at 12 p.m. in Omaha, Nebraska. [subscribe-by-email-form]
