MASON, Ohio – No. 4 seed Xavier came back to win, 4-2, over Seton Hall in the first elimination game of the 2021 BIG EAST Baseball Championship Presented by JEEP. Thunderstorms and torrential rain delayed the game from a 2:30 p.m. ET start to 10 p.m. The contest ended a little more than three hours later at 1:15 a.m. at Prasco Park.
Xavier (26-25) will face the loser of No. 1 UConn vs. No. 2 Creighton at approximately 4 p.m. Saturday. With the rain delay, the Husky-Bluejay game, originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, will be played at noon on Saturday.
In Friday night's battle, Xavier leadoff batter and first baseman Luke Franzoni went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Shortstop Jack Housinger also went 2-for-5 with an RBI and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning for the Musketeers. He also hit the RBI double in the top of the ninth to score Sam Olson and take a two-run lead against the Pirates.
Xavier starter Lane Flamm earned the win (4-5) after a 7.0 inning outing. He gave up two earned runs, walked one and allowed eight hits with two strikeouts. Trey Shramm, in his 100th career appearance on the mound, recorded the save. He pitched the final inning, retiring Seton Hall in order. Shramm needed just seven pitches to hang on to the XU victory.
Seton Hall starter David Festa went 7.1 innings and struck out seven. He did not give up a hit until the fifth inning. Festa gave up two runs in the top of the fifth, but settled in the sixth and seventh to retire six of the next seven batters.
Seton Hall scored early as Connor Hood hit a two-out RBI single to right field, scoring Jonathan Luders.
Xavier answered with two runs in the fifth inning as Franzoni hit his two-out, two-RBI triple to right center.
The Pirates loaded the bases in the home half of the seventh with Casey Dana at the plate. On the first pitch, he chopped a soft grounder just in front of the pitcher who fielded it and tossed it home but the throw was too late as Alex Clyde scored from third. Dana earned the fielder's choice RBI and it tied the score at 2-2. The next batter was graduate student Matt Toke who hit a ground ball deep in the hole to the second baseman who fielded it and tossed it to second for the first out but Xavier was unable to complete the double play at first. After a review of Dana’s slide into second base, it was ruled a runners’ interference and resulted in the end of the Seton Hall rally. Clyde finished 2-for-4 with a run. Dana went 2-for-5.
Seton Hall ended its season 23-25.
2021 BIG EAST Baseball Championship Presented by JEEP
Thursday, May 27 – BIG EAST Digital Network Presented by SoFi
Game 1: #2 Creighton 8, #3 Seton Hall 7
Game 2: #1 UConn 11, #4 Xavier 1
Friday, May 28 – BEDN
Game 3: Xavier 4, Seton Hall 2
Saturday, May 29 – BEDN
Game 4: UConn vs. Creighton, Noon ET
Game 5: Xavier vs. Game 4 Loser [Elimination Game] at 4 p.m. (approx.)
Sunday, May 30 – Championship (FS2)
Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner at 1 p.m. ET
**an If-necessary game will be played at 4:30 p.m. ET should the Game 4 winner lose **