Panther pounce on SHU baseball, 5-1
By Staff Writer | Feb. 28, 2016The Seton Hall baseball team fell to the Florida International University Panthers for the second consecutive night on Saturday, Feb. 27 by a score of 5-1. Sophomore Zach Schellenger started the game for the Pirates, squaring off against the junior Chris Mourelle. Seton Hall got off to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Senior Zack Weigel doubled, and two batters later junior Joe Poduslenko hit a single up the middle to drive him in. FIU quickly tied the game in the bottom of the first after junior JC Escarra singled in junior Irving Lopez. FIU scored their second run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Junior Kenny Meimerstorf tripled to right field and scored two batters later after Schellenger made a throwing error trying to field a bunt. The Panthers scored again in the bottom of the fifth when senior Austin Rodriguez hit an RBI triple off of sophomore Andrew Politi to extend their lead to 3-1. The Panthers continued to pad their lead in the bottom of the sixth when Lopez executed a suicide squeeze bunt to score sophomore Eddie Silva. FIU scored its fifth and final run in the seventh inning, when junior Connor McManigal scored on a two-out Meimerstorf single. FIU ended the game with five runs on 10 hits and one error, while Seton Hall had just one run on nine hits and one error. Both teams left 10 runners on base. Mourelle threw 100 pitches over 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run on seven hits and two walks. Left-handed sophomore Dominic LoBrutto relieved Mourelle in the sixth and allowed just two hits and one walk over 3 1/3 innings. Both pitchers struck out five batters. Mourelle was credited with the win. For the Pirates, Schellenger was charged with a loss after allowing three runs off five hits and three walks over four innings. Politi pitched for three innings and allowed two runs off five hits and one walk. Poduslenko and seniors Chris Chiaradio and Derek Jenkins all had two hits, but Poduslenko was the only batter to drive in a run. The Pirates fall to 2-4 on the season, while FIU improves to 3-4. The Panthers take a 2-0 lead in this four-game series, with the third game scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday,
