Petrich’s Ninth-Inning Homer Lifts Saint Joseph’s Over VCU, 6-5

Owen Petrich hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning to break a 5-all tie and lead Saint Joseph’s baseball team to a 6-5 victory over VCU on Sunday at The Diamond.

Game Recap:

• Saint Joseph’s (10-16, 4-5 Atlantic 10) took an early lead in the second inning. The Hawks loaded the bases, and Petrich scored on a wild pitch.
• The Hawks added to their lead in the fourth inning. Petrich led off with a single, and Tim Dickinson followed with a two-run home run.
• VCU (7-20, 2-7 Atlantic 10) started their comeback in the bottom of the fourth. Sean Swenson hit an RBI double, and Jacob Lee later doubled to bring the Rams within a run. After a review, Nate Kirkpatrick was ruled out at the plate for a collision, but Adrian Jimenez singled home Lee to make it 3-2.
• Saint Joseph’s responded in the sixth when Alex Kelsey walked with two outs, and Carson Applegate followed with a two-run home run, extending the Hawks’ lead to 5-2.
• VCU answered in the bottom of the sixth with a sacrifice fly from Kirkpatrick, narrowing the gap. In the eighth, the Rams tied the game at 5-5 with RBI singles from Lee and Will Henson.
• In the ninth, Petrich came through with a 1-0 pitch, hitting a solo shot over the left field wall to put the Hawks back in front. Sam Greer closed out the game, setting down VCU in order to secure the win.

Key Stats:

• Greer earned the win with 1.2 shutout innings, allowing two hits.
• James McGrady took the loss for VCU after giving up Petrich’s home run.
• Nathan Stein started for Saint Joseph’s, allowing three runs in 5.2 innings, while Nick Freers gave up three runs in a three-inning start for VCU.
• Petrich led the Hawks offensively, going 3-for-3 with two walks, three runs, a home run, and one RBI. Applegate and Dickinson both drove in two runs with home runs.

Next Up

The Hawks will host Delaware on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Liberty Bell Classic. The winner will advance to the championship game at Citizens Bank Park. The game is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at Smithson Field.

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