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Seton Hall Athletics[/caption]
The Seton Hall baseball team bounced back to earn its first win of the season by splitting a double-header with Missouri on Saturday in Fort Myers, Fla. After following up a 4-1 loss with a dominant 8-4 win, the team’s record now stands at 1-2 on the season.
Welcome back baseball. Following the team’s 7-0 loss Friday to the Tigers, the Pirates were looking for their first run of the season on Saturday.
The Pirates found that run in Game 1 off an RBI brought in by a double from hot hitter Mikael-Ali Mogues in the sixth inning. He would finish the game with two doubles, with Zach Weigel adding another.
Mogues’ RBI was the team’s lone run of the game in an 11-hit outing from the Pirates. Missouri, on the other hand, was able to score four runs off just four hits.
All these runs came in the first three innings, where sophomore Seton Hall pitcher Zach Schellenger had trouble finding the zone. He began the game by walking the first batter on four pitches.
After three batters, he would find himself with the bases loaded and nobody out. Luckily for SHU, Missouri was able to get just one run out of the situation.
The Tigers continued to put themselves good position on the base paths, finishing the game with eight steals. Their aggression helped them bring in a run on a sacrifice fly in the second inning. Another two runs would then pour in during the third inning off a deep homerun to left fielder by Shane Benes.
Missouri was able to hold Seton Hall’s threat of 11 hits back with three double-plays in Game 1, but the Pirates did not waste time to take advantage in Game 2.
Seton Hall took its first lead of the series and season with runners on the corners in the first inning off a balk by the Missouri pitcher that advanced the runner home. The team’s second run came in the second inning, where Mike Caputo hit his first career home run as the ball crawled and curled around the left-field pole.
The Tigers would give the Pirates their first scare when they scored two runs in the third inning off a home run by star Ryan Howard to tie the game, but those would be the only runs allowed by freshman pitcher Cullen Dana in his first collegiate start.
With six strikeouts, four walks and two earned runs in six innings pitched, he was a stud, and just what the Pirates needed to hold Missouri back.
Seton Hall tacked on two runs in the fourth inning and one in the fifth to give the team a 5-2 lead before Missouri would come within one run to tie in the eighth inning off an RBI and Seton Hall error.
The Pirates answered with a purpose, stamping three runs into the ninth inning. Seton Hall finished the game with 13 hits, and Missouri finished with just three hits.
The Pirates will wrap up the series with the Tigers on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. in the warm weather of Fort Myers.
Elizabeth Swinton can be reached at elizabeth.swinton@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @ESwint22.
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