So, on a 1-0 pitch, he did it.
Petrich crushed a solo homer over the left-field wall, breaking a 5-5 tie and lifting Saint Joseph’s to a 6-5 win over VCU in the series finale at The Diamond.
And really, it was only fitting. Petrich had been in the middle of everything. He got the Hawks on the board in the second, scoring on a wild pitch. He started a rally in the fourth with a single, then watched Tim Dickinson follow with a two-run homer. Carson Applegate added a two-run shot of his own in the sixth, pushing the lead to 5-2.
But VCU kept hanging around. The Rams nearly tied it in the fourth, only to have a dangerous collision at the plate wipe out the would-be run. They did even the score in the eighth, getting RBI singles from Jacob Lee and Will Henson.
Then came the ninth. And then came Petrich. One swing, one lead change, and one lockdown bottom half from Sam Greer later, and the Hawks were walking off with the win.
Greer earned the victory, retiring all five batters he faced. Nathan Stein worked 5 2/3 solid innings for Saint Joseph’s, while VCU’s James McGrady took the loss after surrendering Petrich’s game-winner.
Petrich finished 3-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored. Applegate and Dickinson each homered and drove in two.
Next up? A shot at the Liberty Bell Classic final. The Hawks host Delaware on Tuesday, with the winner earning a trip to Citizens Bank Park for the championship. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Smithson Field.
In Other D-I Action
Jake Francis set the tone. Alec Sachais slammed the door. And Villanova picked up a 3-1 win over LIU on Sunday at Villanova Ballpark. Francis was dominant, tossing six scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and a walk, striking out a career-high five. Sachais took it from there, recording a nine-out save with four strikeouts while giving up one run.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats found just enough offense. Austin Lemon put them on the board in the second with a sacrifice fly. John Freitag added an RBI single in the seventh, then came around to score on a wild pitch to push the lead to 3-0.
LIU scratched across a run in the eighth, but Sachais got a full-count strikeout to escape further trouble. Then he retired the side in order in the ninth to lock it down.
Francis improved to 4-0, the best mark on the team. Freitag, who went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk, now has eight RBIs in his last four games.
