Saint Joseph’s continues to create separation in the Atlantic 10 — and on Friday afternoon in Dayton, it took a little extra baseball to do it.
Joey Pagano doubled home the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and later scored an insurance run as the Hawks outlasted Dayton, 5-3, at Woerner Field at AES Ohio Stadium.
With the win, Saint Joseph’s improved to 21-11 overall and a conference-best 12-1 in Atlantic 10 play.
Dayton (18-14, 5-8 A-10) struck first, grabbing a 1-0 lead in the third on an RBI single from Michael Smith. But the Hawks answered quickly in the fourth. Alex Kelsey worked a leadoff walk and came around to score on Pagano’s first double of the day, before Tim Dickinson followed with an RBI single to give Saint Joseph’s a 2-1 edge.
The game settled into a rhythm from there, with pitching taking center stage.
Dayton threatened in the sixth, loading the bases with one out, but right-hander Christian Coppola punched out the final two hitters to escape the jam and preserve the lead. The Flyers eventually broke through in the seventh, tying the game on a two-out RBI single by Colin Lynch.
The late innings turned into a back-and-forth.
Saint Joseph’s regained the lead in the ninth on a sacrifice fly from Alex Venezia, only to see Dayton answer again in the bottom half on Smith’s second RBI hit of the afternoon, sending the game to extras tied at three.
That’s where Pagano took over.
After a one-out walk to Blake Primrose in the 10th, Pagano drove a ball off the center-field wall for his second double of the day, scoring Primrose and giving the Hawks the lead for good. A fortunate bounce on the throw allowed Pagano to move to third, and moments later, he came home on a passed ball to extend the lead to 5-3.
Matt Speicher handled the rest.
The right-hander retired the side in order in the bottom of the inning to secure his second save of the season, closing the door on a game that required contributions up and down the roster.
Pagano finished 2-for-4 with two doubles, driving in two runs and scoring three — directly accounting for all five Saint Joseph’s runs. Dickinson added a pair of hits, while Jackson Campbell earned the win with two strong innings out of the bullpen, allowing one run and striking out four.
Saint Joseph’s will look to continue its conference surge when the series resumes Saturday afternoon.
In other action, Villanova couldn’t sustain early momentum, falling to Xavier, 8-4, in the opening game of a three-game BIG EAST series Friday afternoon at Hayden Field.
The Wildcats (—) showed life right away in the first inning. Austin Lemon reached on an error and came around to score after singles from Michael Whooley and Brayden Leonard, with John Freitag driving in the game’s first run on a fielder’s choice.
The lead didn’t last.
Xavier responded immediately in the bottom half, stringing together four hits, including a two-run homer to right field that flipped the game and gave the Musketeers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
The tone of the afternoon was set early.
Xavier added two more runs in the second on a pair of two-out singles, pushing the lead to 4-1, and continued to apply pressure in the fourth. A leadoff home run made it 5-1 before a Villanova error opened the door for another run, extending the margin to five.
Trailing 6-1, Villanova found a spark in the seventh.
After Xavier added a solo home run earlier in the inning, the Wildcats responded with their most productive frame of the day. Lemon delivered an RBI double down the left-field line, while Larry Hotaling and Jack Roventini worked key walks to keep the inning alive. Roventini later scored on a passed ball, and Leonard added an RBI on a fielder’s choice to trim the deficit to 7-4.
But each time Villanova showed signs of a push, Xavier had an answer.
The Musketeers capitalized on a single and two walks in the bottom half of the seventh, scoring on a passed ball to restore a four-run cushion. From there, Villanova’s offense stalled, managing just two hits over the final two innings as the opener slipped away.
Villanova will look to even the series when the teams return to the field Saturday afternoon.
Other Scores
Rhode Island 7, La Salle 6
Recent Philly | Phillies Baseball News | Philadelphia Baseball Review
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Saint Josep's continues A-10 conference streak with win over Dayton in extras (April 10)
- Phillies blow early lead, strike out 16 times in 5-4 loss to Diamondbacks (April 10)
- Phillies vs. Diamondbacks preview: Starting pitchers, key stats, lineup, and how to watch (April 10)
- How a local Philly duo behind Dominate the Diamond is tackling youth baseball’s coaching crisis (April 10)
- Giants shut out Phillies again; Bohm, Stott continue to scuffle as offense goes silent (April 9)
- Phillies’ bats go quiet, defensive lapses loom large in 6-0 loss to Giants (April 8)
- Ryan Taylor sets Penn stolen base record as Quakers roll into Liberty Bell Classic final (April 7)
- The three-year window: How baseball loses kids before it ever has a chance to keep them (April 7)
- Harper has a night as Phillies rally late, Bohm’s double caps four-run seventh in win over Giants (April 7)
- Phillies vs. Giants series preview with notes, pitching matchups, and more (April 6)
- Penn duo Pokrovsky, Coyne earn Player of the Week honors from Philadelphia Baseball Review (April 6)
- YOUTH BASEBALL: Proper pre-game mobility is missing piece in arm-care conversation (April 6)
- Turner’s go-ahead double, Luzardo’s 11 Ks lift Phillies past Rockies (April 4)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Eagles rally from five down, complete sweep of Stevenson behind Harris, bullpen (April 4)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Coyne dominates, Collins’ grand slam powers Penn sweep of Columbia (April 4)
- Marsh, Harper, Schwarber go deep as Phillies erupt in rout of Rockies (April 3)
- Edmundo Sosa delivers in the margins as Phillies lean on their most valuable role player (April 3)
- Phillies vs. Rockies series preview: Pitching matchups, early trends, and key storylines (April 3)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: West Chester’s formula is taking hold — while Chestnut Hill delivers a reminder of how quickly things can erupt (April 3)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Saint Joseph’s surging behind complete effort as conference race tightens across Philly (April 3)
- Phillies ride rookies again as Justin Crawford walk-off caps memorable homestand (April 2)
- Andrew Painter shines in debut as Phillies top Nationals, 3-2 (March 31)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Gwynedd Mercy walks-off Cairn, 9-8, in wild finish (March 31)
- Andrew Painter’s long road ends at Citizens Bank Park, now the real story begins (March 31)
- Phillies’ top of the order goes cold as Turner, Schwarber, Harper struggle in 1-3 start (March 31)
- From first-inning collapse to ninth-inning surrender: Phillies routed by Nationals (March 30)
- Phillies and Nationals preview: Philly offense still searching for answers after rough weekend (March 30)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Swain, Fehrman earn Philadelphia Baseball Review weekly honors - presented by Wheelhouse Cards (March 30)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Bukowski’s bat becoming a problem as Widener finds its footing (March 30)
- Gore dominates again as Phillies stumble out of gate in Opening Day series loss (March 29)
- 5 Sunday Morning Observations: Two games in, this is what we’ve seen from the Phillies (March 29)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Fehrman flirts with no-hitter as Saint Joseph’s blanks Fordham (March 28)
- Cold bats, late rally fall short as Phillies lose to Rangers in extra innings (March 28)
- Stubbs stays with Phillies after clearing waivers, sent to Lehigh Valley (March 28)
- After Sánchez sets the tone, Nola and Phillies look to keep it rolling against the Rangers (March 28)
- Opening Day 2026: The Phillies are good enough to win the World Series, but is their moment passing? (March 26)
- Bryce Harper’s Phillies legacy is built — but not yet finished (March 26)
- Inside the Phillies prospect baseball card boom: Why Crawford, Painter, and Miller are must-buys now (March 26)
- Rob Thomson’s quiet consistency has made him one of the most effective managers in Phillies history (March 24)
- Is Kyle Schwarber building a Hall of Fame case — or forcing a new one to exist? (March 24)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: La Salle pitches around trouble, blanks Penn 8-0 in City Series matchup (March 24)
- Pokrovsky, Shay earn Philadelphia Baseball Review Division I weekly honors presented by Wheelhouse Cards (March 23)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Big 5 surging: Penn, Villanova, and Saint Joseph’s ride weekend series wins (March 22)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Neumann, Widener, Eastern highlight busy Saturday with splits and statement performances (March 21)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: La Salle breaks it open with six-run fourth, powers past Davidson, 8–2 (March 21)
- Phillies News from the Philadelphia Baseball Review
Support the Mission. Fuel the Movement.
You’re not just funding journalism — you’re backing the future of youth baseball in Philly.
👉 Join us on Patreon »
