Cestero and Ferri End Pirates' Skid Against Monmouth

Published: Wednesday, April 23, 2025

by Darren Worrell

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — The Seton Hall baseball team (15-26, 2-7) picked up a much-needed win Wednesday afternoon, defeating Monmouth (20-21, 7-8) 8-3 at Mike Sheppard Sr. Stadium. It was the kind of game fans were glad to see in person, as the Pirates fired on all cylinders at the plate and in the field.

Freshman Tomas Cestero got the start on the mound with an 0-2 record and a 12.67 ERA, but he was ready for the moment. He settled in quickly, striking out two batters in the first inning and helping Seton Hall retire Monmouth in order to start the game.

The Pirates wasted no time in the bottom half, as Aiden Robbins scored on a wild pitch by Monmouth’s Ciancimino, setting the tone for a rough day on the mound for the Hawks, who would go on to use six pitchers.

The score held at 1-0 until the second inning, when Nick Ferri crushed a solo homer to right-center — his first of two home runs on the day — to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead. Cestero cruised through the first three innings but ran into trouble in the fourth.

After hitting back-to-back batters and walking another, Monmouth loaded the bases. A fielder’s choice allowed the Hawks’ Bretschneider to drive in a run, trimming the Pirates’ lead to 2-1.

But Seton Hall answered right away. In the bottom of the fourth, Ferri struck again, sending the first pitch he saw over the right-field fence to make it 3-1. The Pirates weren’t done, tacking on two more runs on a perfectly placed bunt by Ali and a bases-loaded walk, stretching the lead to 5-1.

After nearly seven full innings of stellar pitching, allowing just one hit and recording seven strikeouts, head coach Rob Sheppard made the call to pull Cestero. As he walked off the mound, he was met with a well-deserved standing ovation from the home crowd. Patrick Benn came in to close things out, allowing one run in the seventh to make it 5-2.

In the bottom of the inning, the Pirates slammed the door shut. Back-to-back-to-back RBI singles from Krieger, Pacheco and Ali pushed the score to 8-2, putting the game out of reach. Monmouth managed one more run in the ninth, but by then, the damage was done. Seton Hall snapped a four-game losing streak with a complete team win.

The Pirates finished the day with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and a breakout performance from Cestero, who was easily the player of the game.

Up next, Seton Hall will turn its attention to a three-game home conference series against Butler starting Friday, April 25. Victor Lisboa and Anthony Collins will be on the call.

Darren Worrell can be reached at darren.worrell@student.shu.edu. 

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