Loading Phillies game...
Philadelphia Baseball Review | Phillies News, College Baseball News, Philly Baseball News
Saint Joseph's - Philadelphia Baseball Review
Saint Joseph’s spent much of Saturday looking like a team capable of surviving one more day.

Then one inning changed everything.

The Hawks saw their Atlantic 10 Tournament run come to an abrupt end Saturday afternoon as VCU erupted for 10 runs in the seventh inning of a 13-3 victory in the consolation bracket final at Capital One Park.

For six innings, Saint Joseph’s matched the Rams nearly pitch for pitch.

The game itself had already carried an unusual rhythm before the first full inning was even completed. Friday night’s contest was suspended in the bottom of the first inning after heavy rain intensified throughout the evening. When play resumed Saturday morning, the Hawks trailed 2-0 after RBI hits from Jacob Lee and Nick Flores gave VCU an early lead before the delay.

Once play resumed, though, Saint Joseph’s immediately stabilized the game behind an outstanding relief appearance from Christian Coppola.

Coppola entered with runners on base in the first inning Friday night and proceeded to give the Hawks exactly what they needed. The right-hander held VCU scoreless across 4 1/3 innings, allowing no hits while striking out seven. He retired 10 of the final 13 hitters he faced and repeatedly shut down potential scoring opportunities as the Hawks slowly climbed back into the game.

Saint Joseph’s broke through in the third inning.

Alex Kelsey worked a two-out walk, stole second and eventually advanced to third on an outfield error before Joey Pagano lined an RBI single to cut the deficit to 2-1. An inning later, Tim Dickinson tied the game with a solo home run to deep right field.

The Hawks had completely shifted the momentum.

Even after VCU regained the lead in the sixth inning on Alec Warden’s RBI double down the right-field line, Saint Joseph’s answered again in the seventh. Carson Applegate ripped a two-out double into the left-field corner before Joey Gale followed with a single up the middle. Kelsey then punched a game-tying RBI single through the left side to even the score at 3-3.

At that point, the Hawks were six outs away from forcing their way into the Atlantic 10 Championship game.

Instead, the bottom of the seventh turned into the inning that ended their season.

VCU loaded the bases quickly against Andrew Gaines before consecutive walks to Teige Lethert and Jacob Lee forced in runs to give the Rams the lead back. A Nick Flores RBI single extended the advantage before hit batters to Quinn Maher and Alec Warden forced in two more runs.

And VCU still was not finished.

After DeFranco struck out earlier in the inning and the Hawks briefly appeared close to escaping further damage, the shortstop delivered the knockout blow with a bases-clearing triple down the right-field line that stretched the lead to 11-3. By the time the inning finally ended, VCU had sent 13 hitters to the plate, collected six hits and completely blown the game open.

The ending overshadowed what had otherwise been another resilient effort from Saint Joseph’s throughout the tournament.

Pagano finished with two hits and an RBI. Kelsey scored once, drove in another run and extended his hitting streak to 12 games. Dickinson added the game-tying home run, while Coppola’s relief outing kept the Hawks in position to compete deep into the game.

And despite the difficult finish, the Hawks still leave the season with one of the strongest campaigns in program history.

Saint Joseph’s finished with a school-record 36 victories, captured the Atlantic 10 regular-season championship and also won the Liberty Bell Classic for the fourth time.

For six innings Saturday, it looked like the Hawks might have another chapter left.

Instead, one inning abruptly closed the book on their season.

Recent Philly | Phillies Baseball News | Philadelphia Baseball Review


Loading Phillies schedule...
Loading NL East standings...

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 »

Tags

Patrick Gordon, Executive Editor

Previous Post Next Post
Philadelphia Baseball Review | Phillies News, College Baseball News, Philly Baseball News