The NYU baseball team took the field on Friday and Saturday, losing two out of three games against the St. Joseph’s College-Brooklyn Bears.

In junior Jacob Bader’s first collegiate start for the Violets, St. Joseph’s quickly jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Thomas McKenna homered off Bader to left field on the third pitch of the game. Bader, however, quickly settled down, retiring 11 batters in a row and not allowing a single hit in the fourth, fifth and  sixth innings.

“It felt great to make my first start,” Bader said. “I’ve been waiting all year to get a chance and I had a feeling I would start on Friday. I was definitely a little nervous to start but after the first inning I was able to settle down and find the strike zone.”

The Violets quickly tied the score in the bottom half of the first, courtesy of freshman shortstop Jonathan Iaione’s sacrifice fly that brought home the leadoff hitter, sophomore outfielder Adrian Spitz. Spitz came into the series red hot, with a 10-game hitting streak and a .390 batting average. In the bottom of the second, Spitz gave the Violets the lead with an RBI single that was just a bit too high for Bears second baseman Chris Cutrone, bringing freshman pitcher Chase Denison home from second.

Both teams slowed down offensively in the middle stages of the game and the Violets maintained their one-run advantage until the top of the seventh inning, when St. Joseph’s rallied to score three runs, courtesy of base hits from junior Brian Luebcke and Cutrone. The Bears tacked on runs in the eighth and ninth innings to cap a 6-2 victory.

Bader finished his day with a no decision, but pitched well, giving up only two earned runs and six hits in six and a half innings.

Saturday’s doubleheader was a tale of two games, as both teams took one in convincing fashion. In the first game of the day, the Violets’ bats came alive. The Violets scored in every inning except the first, led by strong offensive play from up and down the lineup. Sophomore catcher CJ Picerni and freshman Scott Hilbrandt, who was the designated hitter for the day, had three RBIs apiece. Freshman right fielder David Wagner also had a big game, going 3-5 with two RBIs. Denison got his second win of the year, pitching 5.2 solid innings, only allowing two earned runs.

Freshman Matthew Millus continued his stellar relief pitching, allowing no hits in his one inning of work to close out the Violets’ 15-3 victory.

However, the roles were reversed in the third game of the series, as the Violets, held scoreless until the final inning, were only able to muster one run on five hits, losing the game 10-1. The Bears offense exploded in the middle of the game, with all of their 10 runs scored from the third to sixth innings. Spitz’s hitting streak came to an end after 12 games, as he went hitless in the last game of the series.

Freshman Michael Anastasiou’s pitching performance in relief was a highlight for the Violets. Anastasiou went 1.2 innings, allowing only one hit.

With flashes of good baseball, the Violets seem to be making strides, but their uneven play has hampered them up to this point in the season. The players, including Spitz, said they would like to see more consistency.

“I feel like our performance is very up and down,” Spitz said. “Either we’re doing great or things aren’t going our way.”

The Violets, now at 9-18 for the year, are in doubleheader action Tuesday against Cairn University at MCU Park in Coney Island, New York.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, April 13 print edition. Email Michael Thompson at [email protected].