You don’t often see a doubleheader where the opener feels like a fireworks display and the nightcap feels like a tightrope act. But that’s exactly what Saint Joseph’s delivered on Friday. One game was a rout, the other a grind, and by the end of it all, the Hawks were two wins richer and flying high in the Atlantic 10 standings.
The first game? That was the Joey Pagano breakout performance — the kind of afternoon that makes you start wondering just how many baseballs they keep in stock at Fred Handler Park. Pagano, a freshman designated hitter, went 4-for-5 with two home runs, five RBIs, and three runs scored. He hit a two-run blast in the fifth that flipped a one-run deficit into a lead, then returned an inning later and launched a three-run shot that landed somewhere in western New York. It was the kind of performance that would’ve made the late Harry Kalas clear his throat and go, “That ball is outta here.”
Pagano’s first homer followed a leadoff walk to Carson Applegate in the fifth, turning a 2-1 St. Bonaventure lead into a 3-2 advantage for the Hawks. And from there, the dam broke. In the sixth, Saint Joseph’s orchestrated a rally that looked like it was pulled straight from a spring training fantasy camp. Aidan Duda, Michael Pierson, and Joey Gale each drew four-pitch walks to open the inning. Then Alex Kelsey — who seems to have a knack for doing something important whenever the Hawks need it — dropped a two-run single into the outfield. Two batters later, Pagano stepped up again and crushed his second homer of the game, this one a three-run shot that made it 8-2 and sucked whatever life was left out of the Bonnies’ dugout.
But the Hawks weren’t done. Owen Petrich added a single, eventually coming around to score on a Blake Primrose base hit. By the end of the sixth, Saint Joseph’s had hung a six-spot on the board and turned a close game into a 9-2 blowout. And still, they added five more runs before it was over, with Primrose delivering the exclamation point — a three-run double in the ninth after pinch hitters Sam Meyer and Eric Cross drew back-to-back walks to load the bases.
On the mound, Frank Ciccone gave the Hawks a workmanlike start, allowing two runs on four hits over five innings while striking out five. Matt Fitzgibbon came on in relief and delivered one of the best performances of his young career, striking out seven over four scoreless innings to earn his first collegiate save. He also earned the rarest of pitching feats — the four-inning save in a game decided by 12 runs. Don’t see that every day.
By the time the dust settled on Game 1, the Hawks had collected a season-high 16 hits, every starter had reached base, and Primrose and Petrich had chipped in three hits apiece. It was a stat sheet that looked more like a phone book.
The nightcap, though? That was a completely different vibe. A low-scoring affair, defined by strikeouts, tight moments, and the kind of pitching performance that has become Colton Book’s trademark.
Book was dominant. Seven innings, four hits, one walk, no runs, and 13 strikeouts. That’s now three starts this season with 13 or more punchouts, and seven quality starts in eight outings. He was in control from the jump and didn’t give the Bonnies a sniff until he turned it over to the bullpen.
The offense gave him just enough to work with. Kelsey — yes, him again — led off the second inning with his first collegiate home run. Then in the fourth, after Tim Dickinson worked a walk, Primrose added to his already monster day by belting a two-run homer to right, giving the Hawks a 3-0 cushion.
Kelsey helped manufacture an insurance run in the eighth, ripping a leadoff double, advancing on a passed ball, then scoring on a groundout. It looked like a throwaway run at the time, but turned out to be the difference between exhaling and white-knuckling the final outs.
The Bonnies made it interesting in the bottom of the eighth, capitalizing on a pair of Hawk miscues. David Marshall drove in a run with a single, then Antonio Cordeiro lifted a sac fly to make it 4-2. With the bases loaded and one out, the tying run was suddenly in scoring position. Enter Dylan Duke. The sophomore right-hander fanned Ryan Kucy looking, then got Harrison Kaufman swinging to end the threat. He came back out in the ninth and went 1-2-3 to seal the sweep — and secure the first save of his career.
Primrose ended the day with six hits and seven RBIs across both games, while Kelsey reached base five times and scored four runs. Between them and the show Pagano put on in the opener, this doubleheader had a little bit of everything — power, poise, drama, and a few crooked numbers.
The series wraps Saturday afternoon, weather permitting. And if Friday was any indication, this Hawks team might be starting to find its rhythm — one big swing at a time.
