Saint Joseph’s fell behind early and never recovered Friday night, dropping a 12-2 decision to Wofford in the opener of a weekend series at Russell C. King Field.
The Terriers (7-2) scored two runs in the second inning and added two more in the third to seize early control. Wofford extended the margin with four runs in the fifth and two in the sixth before ending the game via run rule with two more in the eighth.
Saint Joseph’s (2-6) broke through in the fourth when Blake Primrose connected for his first home run of the season, trimming the deficit to 4-1. Primrose finished 2-for-2 with a walk, reaching base three times.
The Hawks added their second run in the eighth. Joey Gale singled with one out and later scored on a triple by Jason Janesko, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Janesko and Primrose combined for four of Saint Joseph’s six hits.
Wofford starter Kenny Michaels earned the win, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings.
Duke McCarron (0-2) took the loss for the Hawks. He worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing eight runs (six earned) on six hits while striking out four. Andrew Gaines, Justin Sweeney, and Jackson Campbell combined in relief.
Saint Joseph’s finished with six hits and one walk but struck out nine times and committed three errors.
The Hawks and Terriers continue the series Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Elsewhere, Villanova found itself chasing early and never fully recovered Friday night, falling to Florida Atlantic, 11-4, in the opener of a three-game series at FAU Baseball Stadium.
The Owls struck first and quickly created separation. FAU scored twice in the second inning on a two-run single and added three more in the third on a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to take a 5-0 lead.
Villanova (—) broke through in the fifth. Freshman Jack Roventini produced an RBI on a fielder’s choice to put the Wildcats on the board and trim the deficit to 5-1.
The response was immediate.
FAU answered with five runs in the bottom of the fifth, highlighted by a two-run hit from Nick Romano, extending the lead to 9-1 and putting Villanova in a deep hole.
The Wildcats continued to compete at the plate, finishing with 10 hits. Michael Whooley and Brayden Leonard each collected two hits, while Austin Lemon added two hits and an RBI. John Freitag doubled and drove in a run, and Roventini finished with two walks and an RBI.
Villanova plated two runs in the seventh and later added another on Lemon’s RBI single up the middle, cutting the deficit to 9-4. Lemon now has five RBIs on the season.
On the mound, Jake Francis (0-1) took the loss after allowing five runs over three innings. Matthew Kahn surrendered four runs in relief, while CJ Furey provided two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. The Wildcats’ staff recorded eight strikeouts overall.
FAU added two insurance runs in the eighth to secure the 11-4 win.
Villanova remains in Boca Raton for game two of the series Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for noon.
In other action, Penn showed fight throughout Friday night’s series opener at Mercer, but a late rally by the Bears proved decisive in a 5-4 loss at OrthoGeorgia Park.
The Quakers (0-4) battled back from an early deficit and briefly took the lead in the sixth inning before Mercer answered and held on down the stretch.
Mercer struck first in the second inning with a two-run frame highlighted by an RBI single and a sacrifice fly. Penn cut the deficit in half in the third when Ryan Taylor walked, stole second and third, and scored on a balk.
The Quakers evened the game in the fifth on their first home run of the season. Junior outfielder Gavin Degnan turned on an 0-2 pitch and drove a solo shot to right-center field to make it 2-2.
Penn grabbed its first lead in the sixth. After Davis Baker reached on an error and Ernie Echevarria advanced on a fielder’s choice, Nick Spaventa lined a double to left to score Echevarria. Degnan followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home Spaventa and push the Quakers in front, 4-2.
The advantage was short-lived.
Mercer answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run single to tie the game. In the seventh, the Bears manufactured the go-ahead run on a double after a walk and a sacrifice bunt, taking a 5-4 lead that held.
Penn threatened late. Jay Secretarski singled in the ninth to extend his season-opening hitting streak to four games, but Mercer closed it out.
Degnan finished with two RBIs, while Spaventa added an RBI and a double. Secretarski, Spaventa, Jarrett Pokrovsky and Degnan accounted for Penn’s four hits. The Quakers drew four walks and stole three bases but struck out 14 times.
Jake Moss allowed two runs over five innings in the start. Aidan von Zuben and Thomas Shurtleff combined in relief, with Shurtleff (0-1) taking the loss.
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