Box Score SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – A four run ninth inning, capped by a walk-off three run home run by Seton Hall's Staus Pokrovsky, lifted the Pirates past Villanova 5-4 in the first game of a BIG EAST doubleheader played Saturday at Owen T. Carroll Field.
 
The ninth inning fireworks altered the outcome of a contest controlled for eight innings by Wildcats' hurler – and former Seton Hall pitcher – Cole Patten. Patten held the Hall without a hit into the fifth inning and finished his day with eight stellar innings of work while surrendering just one run.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Seton Hall (16-33 overall, 5-11 BIG EAST) made the most of a pair of infield singles to set the stage for its final blow.
 
Chris Rotondo led the game off with a walk for the Wildcats (18-26-1 overall, 8-9 BIG EAST). Joey Castellanos followed with a sharp single to center field to put runners at the corners with no one out. A wild pitch from the Pirates' Hunter Waldis allowed Rotondo to score and Castellanos to advance to second base. Another wild pitch moved Castellanos to third and he came around on an RBI groundout from Jack O'Reilly to make it 2-0.
 
A double play groundout ended the top half of the frame.
 
In the top of the second, Waldis retired the first two Villanova hitters. But two walks and hit by pitch loaded the bases for the Wildcats. Seton Hall made a pitching change at that point, bringing on lefthander Michael Ciminello to face Castellanos. Ciminello retired Castellanos to end the threat.
 
Meanwhile, graduate transfer Patten, who began his career at Seton Hall, set down the first six Pirates in order to help VU maintain its 2-0 edge through two innings.
 
The Wildcats picked up two more baserunners in the top half of the third, as John Whooley worked a walk and Will Reiner was hit by a pitch with one out. But Ciminello wiggled out of the jam to keep the Pirates' deficit at 2-0. He did the same in the fourth, working around a leadoff walk by Pat O'Neill to keep the score the same.
 
Patten, meanwhile, kept putting zeroes on the scoreboard. After striking out the first two hitters in the Pirates' fourth, Jonathan Luders became the first Hall baserunner after earning a walk. Luders moved to second on a balk, but Patten came back to strike out Steve Grober to end the threat.
 
Seton Hall got its first hit of the afternoon from Justin Scotto leading off the fifth. But Patten struck out the next two hitters and then picked Scotto off second base to keep the Pirates scoreless through five frames.
 
A pair of hit batters followed by a sacrifice bunt created a threat for the 'Cats in the top of the sixth inning. After the Hall's Aaron Groller got the second out of the inning, Rotondo legged out an infield single, allowing A.J. Hansen to score the third run of the day.
 
Seton Hall struck back in the bottom of the sixth thanks to two singles. The first led off the inning and the Pirates advanced the runner to third base. Devin Hack then sent an infield grounder between first and second base and beat the throw to push the Hall's first run across. Patten then got Luders to chop a ground ball back to the mound that he grabbed and sent to first base to end the inning with no further damage.
 
The Wildcats got one more run in the seventh inning thanks to a two out RBI double by A.J. Hansen. Patten then put two more scoreless innings on the board to cap a terrific afternoon. Through eight innings, Villanova held a 4-1 lead.
 
Patten's final line included eight innings, five hits, one run, eight strikeouts and 13 groundouts.
 
A pair of lightly struck infield singles by the Hall sandwiched around two outs against reliever Devin Rivera gave the Pirates their second run of the day in the bottom of the ninth inning. A throwing error on an infield grounder put runners at first and second base.
 
That brought Pokrovsky to the plate and the count went full in a tense battle between batter and pitcher. But then Pokrovsky struck the last pitch of Game 1 of this doubleheader over the wall in left center field, giving the Pirates the win.
 
The Wildcats, who captured the first game of this three game set on Friday, were looking to grab a series one in the second game of a scheduled double header also set for Saturday.