Pirates Rally, Take Series Clincher At Mercer, 9-7 - Seton Hall University Athletics
Seton Hall scored six runs in the eighth inning to take the lead for good and Cole Hansen (Skillman, N.J.) struck out six in 3.2 innings out of the bullp...
Stats
Baseball vs Mercer on 3/30/2024 - Box Score - Seton Hall University Athletics
The official box score of Baseball vs Mercer on 3/30/2024
Macon, Ga. - Seton Hall scored six runs in the eighth inning to take the lead for good and Cole Hansen (Skillman, N.J.) struck out six in 3.2 innings out of the bullpen as the Pirates claimed the series-deciding game at Mercer, 9-7, on Saturday morning.
Zack Sylvester (Montville, N.J.) went 3-for-4 including a base hit that drove in the go-ahead run for the Pirates (16-12). Jay Allmer (Asheville, N.C.) registered his second save of the weekend.
How It Happened
Despite recently returning from an injury, Devin Hack (Somerville, N.J.) continued to his strong series as he led off the game with a single to right field. He moved to second on a walk and took third on a passed ball before a grounder off the bat of Pokrovsky drove Hack home as the Pirates took a 1-0 lead.
Ryan Reich (Sellinsgrove, Pa.) struck out the side in order in the home half of the first and he fanned two more batters in the second inning. Mercer jumped in front on a two-run single in the bottom of the third but the Pirates quickly tied the score up at 2-2 in the top of the fourth when Danny Melnick (Hamilton, N.J.) scored on a fielding error by Mercer's second baseman.
A four-run bottom of the fifth put the Bears ahead, 6-2, but Hansen came out of the pen to record the final out of the inning. Hansen struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth and another Mercer error helped bring home a Seton Hall run as Cole Zak (Cleveland, Ohio) crossed the plate in the seventh to cut the Pirates' deficit to three, 6-3. Hansen recorded two more strikeouts in the bottom half and it set the stage for a six-run top of the eighth.
Melnick and Andrew Bianco (Kings Park, N.Y.) got the inning started with back-to-back singles. Casey Cumiskey (Milltown, N.J.) came off the bench as a pinch hitter and he delivered with an RBI single that made it a 6-4 game. Cumiskey and Bianco moved into scoring position on a wild pitch and consecutive groundouts were enough to bring home two more Seton Hall runs that knotted up the score at 6-6.
The bases were now empty for the Pirates with two outs when Aiden Robbins (Yardley, Pa.) was hit by a pitch and Staus Pokrovsky (Pittsgrove, N.J.) singled to left field on the first pitch that put two runners on. Sylvester then stepped to the plate and drove in the go-ahead run on a single to right center that gave the Pirates a 7-6 lead. Viera was the next batter and he drove in two key insurance runs on a two-run single to center field that extended The Hall's lead to 9-6.
Hansen continued to deliver as he followed the offense's big inning with a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth. Despite the Bears scoring a run in the ninth and loading the bases, Allmer was able to retire the side for his second save of the week.
Up Next
The Pirates will return to Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium this week when the Pirates host Princeton at 4 p.m. on Wednesday..
