Matt Toke and Sebastiano Santorelli high-five after the Seton Hall run.
Seton Hall Earns Redemption With 4-3 Win Over Butler Saturday
MASON, Ohio – No. 2 seed Seton Hall stays alive and moves on to Championship Sunday with a 4-3 win over No. 3 seed Butler on Saturday in the 2018 BIG EAST Baseball Championship Presented by Jeep. With the one-run victory, the stage is set for a semi-rematch of the 2011 championship game against St. John’s. The only difference is, for Seton Hall to win the title, the Pirates must win two on Sunday.
Butler had defeated Seton Hall 2-1 in 13 innings to send the Pirates to the losers’ bracket on Thursday night at Prasco Park. With the loss, Butler (34-20) was eliminated from the league’s postseason tournament.
Seton Hall set the tone in the game with a run in the first and two in the fourth and another in the fifth, but similar to Friday night, Butler rallied scoring three runs in the top of the seventh inning.
For Seton Hall (29-19-1), starter Billy Layne Jr. (5-1) went 6.0 innings and scattered five hits, walked two and struck out nine in 98 pitches. Butler starter Garrett Christman, who also hit in the five-hole, went 7.0 innings allowed five hits, four runs (two earned) walked one and struck out five.
For the third time this tournament Seton Hall scored in the first inning as Al Molina hit a two-out home run over the centerfield wall. Molina finished the game 2-for-4.
In the fourth inning, Seton Hall widened the gap as Mike Alescio scored Sebastiano Santorelli with a double down the left field line. Alescio finished the day 1-for-3. He scored later in the inning.
The following inning the Pirates added one more run as Tyler Shedler-McAvoy made his way around the bases after a leadoff walk, giving the Pirates a 4-1 lead.
In the top of the seventh, Butler junior Connor Dall faced new pitcher Corey Sawyer and homered over the left field wall to get the Dawgs on the board in the top of the seventh. Sawyer struck out Zach Jarosz for the first out, but Tyler Houston singled to center to get Butler back on the bases. Gehrig Parker hit his second home run of the tournament with a right field bomb just right of the right field stands. Parker’s hit scored Houston, butting Seton Hall’s lead to one.
Houston went 3-for-3 with a walk and a run. Parker finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run scored and a walk.
Michael Hartnagel singled on the next at bat and Christman struck out swinging for out No. 2. Hartnagel advanced to second on a throwing error, putting the tying Bulldog run in scoring position, but Sawyer got himself out of the inning with a full-count called strikeout.
Still on the mound for Butler, Christman saw four batters at the bottom of the Seton Hall lineup and allowed just one hit. He threw eight strikes in 12 pitches keeping the Pirate bats quiet.
Seton Hall brought in First Team All-BIG EAST Closer closer Matt Leon in the eighth for an attempted two-inning save. Leon pulled through with a 1-2-3 inning, striking out James Gargano and Duncan Hewitt.
In the bottom of the eighth, Butler moved Christman to designated hitter and brought in pitcher Josh Walker. Molina singled up the middle then advanced to scoring position on a successful Mike Alescio sac bunt. Walker got the Bulldogs out of the inning with two straight outs.
With lightning threating just under 20 miles away, Leon took to the mound for the final three outs of the game facing the top of Butler’s order. Jarosz led off with a first pitch single through the right field gap. Houston hit a hard hit shot toward third that was nearly caught Santorelli but went through. With two men on and the skies darkening, and the centerfield flags flying, Parker hit into a 4-6-3 double play, stranding Jarosz, the tying run at third. Hartnagel flied out to Ramiz in right field sealing the Pirate victory.
Leon earned his 12th save of the season.