In one of the signature moments for Seton Hall this year, the Pirates (4-18) won against the Monmouth
Hawks (9-13) in 10 innings on a walk-off double by Collin Sheehan. The starting
pitchers for this quick one game match were Dante Ciaramella (1-1) for Monmouth and Nick Payero (0-2) for the Pirates.
It would not take long for Payero and the Pirates to deal with adversity, as the Hawks would strike at the top of the first. After a 2B Casey Caufield single to leadoff, SS Dixon Black hit a left field bomb, his fifth of the year to give Monmouth an early 2-0 lead.
After that, Nick Payero settled down and went the next two innings scoreless. Help would come to him by the Pirates’ bats in the bottom of the third. After a leadoff out, LF Will Gale singled and stole a base, and CF Devin Hack and 2B Zack Sylvester walked. With Cory Hiltz in relief for Ciaramella, 3B Pat D’Amico hit a two-RBI single to tie the game.
The tie would not last long as Monmouth regained the lead in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by CF Jake Catalano that made it a 3-2 Monmouth advantage. After that, Payero and reliever Chris Shine combined to keep the Monmouth offense at bay in the fifth and sixth innings.
This would be perfect timing, as Coach Rob Shepphard would have Jonathon Luders pinch hit for RF Oscar Murray with a man on first. Luders hit a double in the left center field gap to tie the game at 3-3. The next three innings would be a battle of the bullpens, as the Pirates’ Christopher Shine, Zane Probst, and Drew Conover would leave a total of five Monmouth Hawks on base across the 7th, 8th, and 9th.
The game would eventually head into extras. At the top of the tenth, Conover obtained three quick outs. It seemed like a replica for the Hawks, as reliver Jack Fraher got two easy outs. However, the Pirates had different plans. Both Sylvester and D’Amico worked two-out walks.
It opened the door for DH Collin Sheehan to be the hero in extras. On a 2-1 count, Sheehan drove a double into left center to end this game in a Pirates walk-off 4-3 win.
Seton Hall totaled 4 runs, 6 hits, no errors, and 5 men left on base, while Monmouth scored 3 runs, with 7 hits, one error, and left 10 men on base. The winning pitcher was Drew Conover (1-2) and the loser was Jake Fraher (0-2). The Pirates now sit at 4-18 on the season.
Seton Hall’s next matchup will be Wednesday, March 30, versus the Wagner Seahawks in South Orange, New Jersey at 4 P.M. They will then host a 3 game series against the Mercer Bears. For Monmouth, they begin their conference play in the MAAC with a three-game series vs. Iona from April 1st to 3rd.
Chris Kiely can be reached at christopher.kiely@student.shu.edu.
