ARLINGTON, Va. – The Saint Joseph's baseball team moved one step closer to the postseason on Saturday, topping George Washington by a 9-7 score at Tucker Field at Barcroft Park.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (23-23 overall, 16-10 Atlantic 10) took the lead with a run in the second as Tim Dickinson walked, moved to second on a groundout by Aidan Duda, then came in to score on consecutive singles by Sam Meyer and Joey Gale.
 
• The Hawks then hung four on the board in the third.  Carson Applegate led off the frame and was hit by a pitch; Joey Pagano then walked before a double steal put two in scoring position with nobody out.  Owen Petrich followed with an RBI single before a sacrifice fly from Blake Primrose made it a 3-0 game.
 
• Dickinson then followed with a single, but was replaced on the basepaths after a fielder's choice by Duda.  Meyer doubled home Petrich before Gale walked and Alex Kelsey beat out an infield single to score Duda and extend the lead to 5-0.
 
• George Washington (25-24 overall, 12-14 Atlantic 10) worked its way back into the game at that point, as a solo home run by Ellis Schwartz in the third was followed by a two-run single from Cristino Tufano to cut the Hawk margin to a pair.
 
• The Revolutionaries drew level in the bottom of the seventh on a pair of bases loaded walks, but the Hawks escaped further trouble with their second consecutive inning-ending double play.
 
• The Hawks regained the lead in the eighth.  Kelsey and Applegate led off the inning with consecutive singles; an error on Applegate's hit allowed both runners to move up a base.  Pagano then hit into a fielder's choice; everyone was safe as Kelsey crossed the plate to put the Hawks back on top.
 
• Petrich followed with a groundout to double the lead before a walk to Primrose and a bunt single by Dickinson loaded the bases; Duda then pushed the advantage to three with a sacrifice fly.
 
• Saint Joseph's tacked one on in the top of the ninth as Applegate walked, Pagano singled, and Petrich notched another RBI with a single to plate Applegate.
 
• GW did not go down quietly, scoring on back-to-back one-out singles, but Ethan Bowen induced a fielder's choice from Conlon Walsh to end the ballgame.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Dylan Duke tossed a shutout inning of relief to record the win, while Bowen retired the only batter he faced to lock down the save.  Gavin Miller allowed three runs on three hits and four walks in three innings to take the loss for George Washington.
 
• Colton Book got the start for the Hawks, working into the sixth inning and allowing three runs on five hits while striking out three.  Andrew Cutler started for GW and gave up five runs on nine hits in five frames.
 
• Six different Hawks recorded two hits in the game, while Applegate and Pagano each added two walks to reach base four times apiece.  Applegate also stole two bases and scored three times.
 
• Petrich led the Hawks in runs batted in for the second day in a row, collecting three on Saturday.
 
UP NEXT
The teams wrap up the series on Sunday; first pitch is set for noon.