The Sacred Heart University baseball team earned its first win of the season, defeating non-conference host VCU, 5-4, Saturday afternoon. The win evens the Pioneers record at 1-1 while the Rams fall to 4-2

The two squads play the rubber match of the three-game series, Sunday afternoon.

Pitching Lines

• Matt Aufiero earned the win, throwing 4.2 innings of relief for the Pioneers
• He entered the game with the bases loaded and one out, and after issuing a walk to the first batter he faced, fanned back-to-back Rams to get out of the inning with SHU leading, 5-2
• Aufiero finished with six strikeouts on the day
• Ryan LeMay started for the Pioneers and fanned four in 4.1 innings of work, allowing two runs
• Mason Delane took the loss for VCU, allowing a run on four hits in 2.2 innings of work
• Ram pitching fanned eight Pioneers on the day, while walking just two

At the Plate

• The Pioneers knocked out 14 hits, from eight players, with four doubles on the afternoon
• Justin Jordan was 4-5 with a stolen base, from the leadoff spot, and scored two runs
• Rookie Sam Mongelli went 3-5, with two doubles and scored a run
• Joey Skarad's hit was a double, and he drove in a pair of runs
• Jake Frasca was 2-4, with two RBI
• Tyler Locklear was the lone Ram with multiple hits, going 2-4 with an RBI
• Four VCU players drove in a run in the loss

How it Happened

• Jordan led off the game with a double to left field, advanced to third on a ground out by Isiah Daubon and scored when Frasca singled through shortstop
•  Mongelli and Danny Glendon singled with one out and came around to score when Karad laced a double to deep center field, for the 3-0 lead
• Jordan singled in the next at back to score Skarad and would come around to score three batters later on a Frasca single to right field
• VCU got two runs back in the fifth, without a hit, as they had three batters hit by pitch and two walks, making the score 5-2
• Hunter Vay led off the home seventh with a solo homerun to make the score 5-3 and Steven Carpenter sac fly in the bottom of the ninth made the score 5-4
• Aufiero fanned Hogan Brown to close out the Pioneers win