May 28, 2012 – The Saint Joseph’s Hawks baseball team tied a season record for wins with 25, but their run in the Atlantic 10 Tournament ended with a 6 – 0 loss to Saint Louis in an elimination game in the Bronx, NY. Saint Louis right-hander Clay Smith tossed a three-hit shutout the conclude the season for the Hawks. They ended the tournament with two wins and two losses. The wins came against Rhode Island while the losses were at the hands of top-seeded Saint Louis and eventual tournament champion Dayton.
The Hawks started the tournament beating Rhode Island 3 – 0. Alex Preacher tossed a five-hit shutout sending Saint Joseph’s to the winners bracket. The win also avenged a regular season loss to the Rams. In game two Junior Kyle Mullen struck out a career-high 12 batters, but the Hawks fell 4 – 3 in 13 innings to Dayton. Mullen tied the school record for most strikeouts in a season (90)set by Jamie Moyer. The loss sent Saint Joseph’s into a rematch with Rhode Island in an elimination game.
Again. Saint Joseph’s got a great pitching effort as Sophomore Daniel Thorpe recorded his first career complete game leading the Hawks to a 3 – 2 victory. Senior Brett Tiagwad scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth as the team staved off elimination.
The season finally concluded for the Hawks as Saint Louis recorded the 6 – 0 win. Tiagwad had two hits to lead the Hawks.
Saint Joseph’s finished the season with 25 wins. They played a record-setting 57 games. During the season the Hawks won their first Liberty Bell Classic championship, and played in their first ever Atlantic 10 Baseball Championships.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@phillycollegesports.com
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