GREENVILLE, N.C. – Saint Joseph's rode a five-run rally in the sixth inning and a shutdown performance from its pitching staff to hand Missouri State a 6-3 loss on the opening day of play at the Keith LeClair Classic Friday afternoon.
Led by a strong starting performance by right-hander Tim Brennan (1-1), the Hawks (2-3) overcame an early 2-0 deficit, as five SJU hurlers handcuffed the Bears over the final eight frames. The combined effort marked the first one-hitter by a Missouri State opponent since April 5, 2013, when the Bears were stymied in a 2-1 loss at Illinois State.
Brennan fanned nine Bears, allowing the lone Missouri State hit of the game on
Drew Millas's two-run double in the first and a pair of walks in his 6.0 innings. Four relievers combined to hold MSU hitless the rest of the way, permitting just an unearned seventh-inning tally, thanks to a trio of hit batsmen and a two-out passed ball.
By that time, the Hawks had climbed out of the hole with the game's critical rally in the home half of the sixth, scoring five times on four hits, three walks and an error. A walk to Brendan Hueth and a Charlie Concannon base hit started the inning, before a crucial MSU fielding miscue on a sacrifice attempt loaded the bases with nobody out.
Dominic Cuoci made the Bears (4-3) pay, driving one of his three hits on the day to left to bring home the first two SJU runs of the game to knot the score at 2-2. Liam Bendo and Cole Stetzer delivered back-to-back run-scoring singles off reliever
Logan Wiley (1-2), before Hueth drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Hawks a 5-2 lead.
MSU, which mounted a two-out rally of its own in the top of the first, threatened immediately in the seventh, using a base on balls to
Ben Whetstone and a hit batsman to set up a scoring threat. With two on and two out, a passed ball allowed Whetstone to score his second run of the game, but
John Privitera's bouncer to short moments later ended the inning, after reliever Ryan Devine plunked
Logan Geha and
Sam Faith to load the bases.
From there, Eric Sigovich and Steve Powles combined to retire the final six Bears in order, striking out a pair in each of their scoreless innings.
Millas accounted for the majority of the Bears' offense, lacing a double just inside the bag at third after
Jeremy Eierman and
Ben Whetstone drew two-out walks.
The Hawks' rally overshadowed a solid starting effort from MSU's
Austin Knight, who yielded just one run on three hits and three walks, while striking out six SJU hitters in 5.0 innings. Wiley suffered the loss after allowing five runs (two earned) on six hits in an inning and a third.
Up next, the Bears will meet host ECU in a 3:30 p.m. (CST) contest Saturday, before wrapping up the weekend Sunday against Pepperdine at 10 a.m.
