DAVIDSON, N.C. – Propelled by a fourth-inning two-run dinger from Andrew Cossetti along with a couple elite bullpen performances, sixth-seeded Saint Joseph's (29-23, 12-11 A-10) cemented a narrow upset victory over No. 3 overall Saint Louis (28-23, 14-9 A-10) in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship, downing the Billikens by a final 2-1 mark late Tuesday afternoon at Wilson Field.
With the win, the Hawks proceed to Wednesday's mid-afternoon contest within in the winner's bracket, taking on the victor between No. 2 VCU and seventh-seeded Richmond for a shot at a semifinals bid. Meanwhile, Saint Louis slips into the consolation bracket, facing a to-be-determined opponent in either Wednesday's nightcap or Thursday's mid-afternoon game. Both matchups will be broadcast live via ESPN+.
Offensively, the contest centered around a pair of home runs – one each from Saint Louis and Saint Joseph's – with the Billikens initially grabbing the lead in the third via a Tyler Fogarty solo shot before Cossetti responded in the fourth with a two-run bomb of his own.
On the mound, Noah Weber composed a solid start for the Hawks as he worked through 4.0 complete innings with the one run allowed on five total hits; Mike Falco (W, 7-3) took over in relief for 4.0 frames, striking out four while surrendering a single hit. SJU closer Ryan Devine (S, 8) stepped in for the entirety of the ninth, earning his eighth save of the year behind just 12 pitches with one strikeout.
For the Billikens, Logan Schmitt (L, 8-2) tossed a complete game with two runs given up on six total hits, setting down four on strikes and walking one for the day.