Pitcher Zach Prendergast gave up three runs over 5.2 innings as No. 4 Seton Hall fell to No. 1 Creighton by a score of 4-1 in its first Big East Tournament game Thursday night.
The game was scoreless for the first four innings until Creighton scored two runs in the fifth off a two-run home run by Clark Brinkman. The Pirates responded urgently, with Mike Alescio delivering a RBI single in the next inning. However, the Bluejays answered back with another run in the bottom of the sixth, showing the confidence and effectiveness of a home, No. 1 seed.
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Photo via SHU Athletics[/caption]
The Hall did not find any more ways to score after the sixth, with Creighton adding an insurance run to bring the final score to 4-1.
Standouts for the Pirates included Matt Toke, who continues his stellar freshman campaign into postseason play, totaling two hits and the lone run scored for the Pirates. But runs were sparse for the Pirates, and despite five solid innings for Zach Prendergast, a two-run fifth inning was too much for the Pirates to sustain against Creighton’s Rollie Lacy. Lacy pitched seven innings, allowing one unearned run.
Circumstances now shift to win-or-go-home for the Pirates as they are back in action on Friday, taking on their rivals from across the Hudson in St. John’s. The Red Storm fell in a significant fashion to the Musketeers of Xavier, losing by a score of 13-3. Both Seton Hall and St. John’s will need a win, as the loser falls out of contention for the title, when the teams take the field at 3:30 p.m. at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.
Mat Mlodzinski can be reached at matthew.mlodzinski@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @Mlodzinski_15.
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