Seton Hall Prep baseball team enjoys 2-0 start to the season

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Photos by Rich Morris/courtesy of SHP: Pirates vs. Millburn, April 6.

WEST ORANGE, NJ – Despite the snow and cold weather, the Seton Hall Prep baseball team went 2-0 in the first week of the season.

In the opener, the Pirates defeated East Side, 13-0, in five innings at Porcello Field. Senior right-hander Steven Sgaramella pitched a complete game, allowing three singles and striking out seven. The offense was led by Nick Diaz, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, and Ryan Sheppard, who was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and one RBI. Other contributors were Brian Kelly, 1-for-2, two runs scored and two RBI; Giordan Cerbo, 2-for-2 with one RBI, Nick Maldonado, 1-for-1, walk, hit by pitch, two runs scored and one RBI, and Jack Eichler, who had an RBI groundout.

On Friday, April 6, in another Super Essex Conference-American Division showdown, SHP defeated Millburn, 6-5, in come-from-behind fashion at Porcello Field. Millburn took a 1-0 lead in the second inning before SHP tied the score when Eichler doubled into the left-field corner and scored on Kelly’s single to center field. Millburn added runs in the third, fourth, and fifth innings to take a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth when SHP cut the lead to 5-3 scoring two runs. Jack Zyska led off with a home run to center field. Maldonado was then hit by a pitch and later scored on a single to left field by Diaz.

SHP took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. With runners on first and second, Eichler singled to left field to drive in the first run and the second run scored when the left fielder committed an error as Eichler ended up at third base. On the first pitch, Kelly singled to center to drive in Eichler with the go-ahead run. Relief pitcher David Festa picked up the win in relief, pitching 2/3 of an inning with one walk and one strikeout. John Ariza picked up the save, pitching the seventh inning with one strikeout and one hit batter. Maldonado started and threw four innings, allowing three runs, one earned, on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks. He was relieved by Frank Spano before Festa was called upon by Head Coach Mike Sheppard Jr.

The schedule this week is as follows: Monday, April 9, home vs. Nutley; Tuesday, April 10,  away vs. Columbia; Wednesday, April 11, away vs. Livingston; Friday, April 13, home vs. Caldwell; Saturday, April 14, home vs. Randolph.

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