Xavier University Athletics
Xavier University
Saint Joseph's
Conley Sets Saves Mark as Baseball Sweeps Hawks
05.02.09 | Baseball
May 2, 2009
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CINCINNATI - There was no rest for Jordan Conley on Saturday, starting at shortstop and recording the save in both of the Xavier baseball team's victories over Saint Joseph's on Saturday. The Musketeers scored six runs in the eighth inning to record the 7-5 comeback win in the first game of the doubleheader, and completed the series sweep with an 8-6 victory in the nightcap.
With the pair of saves, Conley now has nine on the season to push his career total to 19, setting a new program record. He is one save shy of tying his own single-season record of 10, which he set last season as a junior.
XU (27-17, 13-8 A-10) used a six-run outburst in the bottom of the eighth inning to overcome Saint Josephs' (14-26-1, 7-13) in the day's opening contest at Hayden Field.
The Hawks' Randy Fowler kept the Musketeer bats at bay early, with the visiting team holding a 1-0 lead after five innings. The only run came courtesy of a Dewey Oriente double that brought Phil Pursino around to score in the first.
SJU put a three-spot on the board in the top of the sixth, getting a leadoff home run from David Valesente. After Orienete followed with a walk, Brian Hartsell extended the Hawks' lead to 4-0 with a shot over the wall in left.
The Musketeers dented Fowler's armor in the bottom half of the inning, getting a two-out double to right center from sophomore Ben Thomas that brought senior Neil Lindgren all the way around from first to make it 4-1.
SJU added to its advantage in the top of the seventh, getting a solo shot to center from Oriente, and Fowler took a 5-1 lead into the eighth inning, when the XU offense came alive.
A pair of singles by senior Billy O'Conner and junior Drew Schmidt, followed by an error by the Hawks on a shot by Lindgren, loaded the bases full of Musketeers to begin the bottom half of the seventh. Thomas capitalized with a single up the middle that brought O'Conner and kept the bases juiced.
After a pitching change, Conley drew a walk to force Schmidt in from third and make it a 5-3 came in favor of SJU. Junior Bobby Freking made it a one-run game with a single through the left side that scored Lindgren and senior Sean Farrell delivered the tying run with a pinch hit sacrifice fly to bring Thomas home.
Senior Adam Pasono drew a walk to load the bases for XU once again, and the man who started the inning, O'Conner, put the Musketeers in front by drawing a free pass of his own that forced Conley in from third. Schmidt followed with a third straight free pass, bringing sophomore Josh McCambrdige in to score and put XU in front 7-5.
Conley recorded a 1-2-3 ninth for the save, setting the program record with 18 career saves. Senior Joe Kohler (3-1) pitched two-thirds of an inning in relief to earn his third victory of the season, while reliever Chris Hildreth (1-1) took the loss for the Hawks.
The Musketeers scored seven of their eight runs in the first four innings of the nightcap, which they won 8-6 to earn a sweep of SJU in the three-game series.
SJU jumped to an early lead, getting a pair of runs in the top of the first on RBI singles by Oriente and Hartsellf. XU cut the deficit almost immediately when Thomas drove a single to left field that brought O'Conner home from third to make it 2-1 in favor of the Hawks.
McCambridge almost single-handedly tied the game in the bottom of the second inning. After hitting a single up the middle, McCambridge stole second to move himself into scoring position. On the next pitch, he broke to steal third and an errant throw by the catcher allowed McCambridge to come around and score, knotting the score at 2-2.
A solo home run by Hartsell in the top of the third inning gave the lead back to SJU, but the Musketeers responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. A one-out double by Schmidt started the rally and a Hawks' error on a grounder by Lindgren gave XU two runners on.
After a fly out to right field by Thomas allowed Schmidt to advance to third, Conley stepped in to the batter's box with runners on the corners. He delivered with a double to right center that brought Schmidt home and moved Lindgren to third.
With two runners in scoring position, Freking hit a two-bagger deep to center field that drove both Lindgren and Conley in to score, giving XU a 5-3 lead, an advantage they held onto for good.
McCambridge led off the bottom of the fourth by reaching on a SJU error and then stole second to move into scoring position, where Pasono drove him home with a double down the left field line. O'Conner followed with a single to center that scored Pasono and made it 7-3 in favor of the Musketeers.
After a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, the Hawks pulled within one in the seventh inning on a groundout that brought Ryan McDonald, who led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch, home from third. XU responded in the bottom half, when Thomas' sacrifice fly brought O'Conner across home plate for the second time, pushing the home team's advantage to two, 8-6.
Conley loaded the bases in the top of the ninth with two outs, but recorded the final out on a strikeout to pick up his second save of the day. Thomas (2-1) picked up the win for the Musketeers, striking out five over 5 1/3 innings. SJU starter A.J. Holland fell to 2-4 on the season, taking the loss for the Hawks.
With finals on the schedule for this week, XU is off until Friday, May 8 when the Musketeers travel to Washington D.C. to take on George Washington in their final road series of the regular season. The Atlantic 10 foes will square off at 4 p.m. on Friday, at 1 p.m. on Saturday and conclude the series at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
