Arizona baseball shut down by Seton Hall
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Seton Hall ace Josh Prevost dominated on the mound and designated hitter Tyler Boyd delivered a three-run triple in the opening inning to propel the Pirates to a series-opening 9-1 victory over the Arizona baseball team on Friday night at Hi Corbett Field.
Prevost (W, 3-0) carried a perfect game into the fifth and scattered five hits over eight strong innings. He surrendered just a lone run in the fifth inning and otherwise racked up seven strikeouts and did not issue a walk.
The Pirates' senior outdueled Arizona's James Farris, another senior right-hander. Farris was touched up for four runs in the opening frame before settling down. The Wildcats, however, were never able to mount a serious threat.
Seton Hall (5-2) scored its four first-inning runs on five hits. Consecutive one-out singles by Chris Seldon, Kyle Grimm and Sal Ammunziata loaded the bases for Boyd, whose triple to right field effectively was the game-winner. D.J. Ruhlman later drove in Boyd for the fourth run.
The score remained 4-0 until the Pirates tacked on an unearned run in the top of the fifth. Grimm reached on an error to open the inning, moved to third on a single and scored on a double-play groundout.
Arizona (6-3) did not put a runner on base until Trent Gilbert led off the fifth inning with a double to left-center. He scored one out later on Jordan Berger's single.
That was all the scoring the Wildcats could muster against Prevost and the Pirates. Sam Burum pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
Seton Hall added single insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings, before pushing two more across in the ninth inning. Reliever Tyler Parmenter was charged for run allowed in the eighth and Tyger Talley gave up two in the ninth.
The Wildcats pitching staff saw a string of 47.2 consecutive innings without a walk come to an end when Talley walked Grimm with out in the ninth. Grimm and Annunziata each scored on Dillon Hamlin's triple, which capped the scoring.
Farris (L, 2-1) suffered his first loss of the season after giving up six runs -- five earned -- over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.