Baseball Stuns Rutgers on the Road

PISCATAWAY, NJ – The Saint Peter's baseball team earned its first victory of the 2020 campaign on Wednesday afternoon, upsetting in-state foe, Rutgers 6-3 in Piscataway. The win was also the first career victory for first-year skipper Lou Proietti.
 
How it Happened

• After a runless first inning, Rutgers scored all three of its runs in the home half of the second inning to put Saint Peter's in a 3-0 whole.
• It didn't take long for the pendulum to swing in favor of the Peacocks, as the visitors put together a five-hit, four-run third inning rally. The frame started with back-to-back singles by the Andrews (Connor and Veit), placing two on with one out. 
• The next three batters for Saint Peter's would all drive in runs, beginning with team captain, Hunter Mason who hit his RBI single to center field (Connor scored), making it a 3-1 game. Next, John Gavura sent home Veit from second base when he doubled down the right field line, cutting the deficit to one-run. Lastly, Sam Delcollo placed a single through the left side, driving in the game-tying and go-ahead runs by Mason and Gavura, respectively.
• In the bottom half of the inning, right-handed pitcher Ian Concevitch entered the game out of the bullpen and completely shut down Rutgers for the rest of the day.
• After giving up just one hit in the third, Concevitch recorded three consecutive hitless innings (two were 1-2-3 innings), from the fourth through sixth.
• Preceding the bottom of the sixth, the Peacocks added two insurance runs in the top of the inning by way of a two-run blast by Trent Koerner over the left center field wall. The home run would extend the lead to 6-3.
• Concevitch and the defense preserved the lead, only allowing a trio of hits over the game's final three innings to capture the road victory.

 
Inside the Numbers

• Concevitch (1-2) earned his first win as a Peacock, pitching 7.0 innings in relief and striking out five batters. With Concevitch on the mound, Rutgers did not score a single run, giving the senior his first career clean sheet win when pitching more than two innings.
• The Peacocks held the Scarlet Knights scoreless for eight out of nine innings, which included shutout ball in the final seven innings of the contest.
• Offensively, eight of the nine batters in the lineup earned a hit in the win, combining for 11 total hits.
• Mason (2-for-5), Koerner (2-for-4), and Andrew Veit (2-for-3), all had a multi-hit afternoon and each scored one run. Koerner and Delcollo both posted a team-high two RBI, with Koerner hitting his first home run of the season. 
• Gavura added an RBI and a run on a 1-for-3 day, while Chris Marquart and Andrew Connor both crossed home plate once.
• The win snapped a six-game skid to Rutgers and was the first defeat over the team since 2013. 
• This was the program's first time being victorious against a Power Five Conference team. 
• Saint Peter's record against the current B10 improves to 1-6, having previously been defeated by Indiana (0-3), Maryland (0-2), and Northwestern (0-1).

 
Coach's Quotes – Lou Proietti 

• "We did a great job today playing a complete game." 
• "Our offense put together good at bats; we were able to extend the lead with a two-run home run from Trent Koerner and our defense made plays when they needed to." 
• "Ian Concevitch stepped up and threw a great game for us. He filled up the strike zone and did a very good job keeping hitters off balance." 
• "I am very proud of this group today; they've worked hard to get to this point and deserve the win."

 
On Deck

• Saint Peter's will have a quick turnaround, heading to New York for a three-game set with LIU.
• The Peacocks and Sharks will meet tomorrow in a single game, before concluding the series on Saturday (Mar. 7) and Sunday (Mar. 8).