The Seton Hall baseball team lost two of three at home this weekend to the St. John's Red Storm, dropping the Pirates to 14-15 on the season and 4-5 in Big East play.
The Pirates managed to salvage the series and avoid a sweep on Sunday after defeating the Red Storm 6-3.
Continuing the weekend's theme of successful pitching, Seton Hall's sophomore starter Jon Prosinski worked consistently, allowing just two earned runs on six hits over seven innings pitched. He struck three and walked one, improving his record to 2-3 and giving him a 4.18 ERA on the season.
Down 3-1, the Pirate offense worked from behind as they scored five unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh innings to give them the eventual 6-3 lead.
In the sixth inning, it was a two run double down the left field line off the bat of sophomore Mike Genovese that knotted the game up at three runs apiece. Then, in the seventh inning, sophomore outfielder Dale Anderson put the Pirates ahead with his two run double, this one down the right field line.
Anderson scored on a wild pitch from Red Storm Junior reliever Eddie Medina to score the Pirates' final run of the game.
The series loss was Seton Hall's fourth of the season, after losing two out of three to Rutgers in early April and North Carolina in late February and having been swept by Florida International in early March.
Seton Hall looked to senior starlet Joe DiRocco during Saturday's matchup, and the ace did his job by allowing just one run over six and two-thirds innings, yet the Red Storm came away with a 4-3 comeback victory.
The Pirates' bullpen struggled to close out the game as they collectively allowed three runs in one and a third innings of work, eventually earning sophomore Ryan Harvey the loss.
St. John's was once again paced by methodical pitching as junior starter Kevin Kilpatrick threw six and two thirds innings and allowed just one earned run. He struck out two and walked zero.
The Red Storm bullpen held up their end as well, allowing no runs and no hits in two and one third innings of work.
The Pirate offense got off to a quick start as they manufactured two runs on two hits in the bottom of the first inning by playing small ball. The Seton Hall lineup was led by senior first baseman Sean Gusrang, who finished the game with two hits and one walk to go along with two RBI in three plate appearances.
It took some late heroics from the St. John's lineup, however, as they scored three runs in their half of the eighth inning to take a 4-3 lead due in large part to the bat of sophomore designated hitter Rob Case, whose two-run single put them ahead.
On Friday, a game which St. John's won 6-1, the Red Storm benefited from solid pitching as sophomore starting pitcher Kyle Hansen allowed just one run on six hits while striking out two batters over eight innings of work, moving him to 4-3 on the season and giving him a team best 2.81 ERA.
For the Pirates, on the other hand, pitching was the illness rather than the antidote as sophomore starter Frank Morris lasted just four and a third innings after allowing four earned runs in his first start of the season.
Morris walked five batters, including four in one inning, en route to his first loss of the year. The performance drops his ERA to 4.18, which is tied for worst on the team among pitchers who have thrown at least 20 innings.
St. Johns' offensive showing was led by junior shortstop Joe Panik who, despite not driving in any runs, reached base five times in six plate appearances. Panik finished the day with two walks, two singles, two runs scored, and a stolen base.
The lone Pirate score was tallied in the eighth inning when Genovese drove in a run after a two out single up the middle, however Seton Hall was never able to recover from the five run deficit.
John Lopiano can be reached at john.lopiano@student.shu.edu.
