Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

LOCK HAVEN, PA - Stephen Cooke (Severn, MD/Archbishop Curley), Matt Szukics (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley) and Jared Weed (Washington Crossing/Council Rock North) combined to give up just two earned runs and 10 hits on Friday, helping IUP to a pair of wins as the Crimson Hawks swept Lock Haven in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division baseball doubleheader on Friday afternoon. IUP won game one 5-2 before a 7-1 victory in the nightcap.

Cooke picked up the win in the opener, throwing his seventh complete game of the season to move to 7-1 on the year. He gave up just four hits in seven innings, with seven strikeouts and just one earned run. In game two, Szukics went 4.2 innings to capture the win, moving to 4-3 on the year after giving up one earned on five hits. Weed entered in relief, tossing the last 2.1 innings with just one hit and a pair of strikeouts. 

Lock Haven did get the scoring started off in game one a run in each of the second and third innings to take a 2-0 lead.

The Crimson Hawks got one back in the fifth as Austin Mock (State College/State College) led off the inning with a solo shot to left, his third of the year. Their next run came in the sixth as Ryan Uhl (St. Marys/St. Marys) singled to left with two outs, bringing home Jordan DeLuca (Broad Top/Tussey Mountain), who was pinch running for Troy Foster (Shamong, NJ/Seneca).

The Bald Eagles threatened to take the lead in the bottom half of the sixth with a one-out double, but Cooke got the final two batters to fly out, sending it to the seventh tied at 2-2.

In the seventh, Cory Sawka (Uniontown/Uniontown) was hit by a pitch with one out and then moved to third when Robbie Zinsmeister (Hatfield/North Penn) doubled to left. Dylan Tice (Perkasie/Pennridge) followed that up with another double, this one to right field, bringing home both Sawka and Zinsmeister to put IUP on top 4-2. After a pitching change, Dylan Songer (Baden/North Allegheny) brought Tice around with a single to left to give the Crimson Hawks the three-run lead.

Cooke would spend not much time retiring the side in the bottom half, going 1-2-3 to secure the win.

IUP had seven hits in the game, as the top three hitters in the lineup (Zinsmeister, Tice and Songer) went a combined 5-for-11 with two doubles and two runs scored.

The Crimson Hawks struck first in game two, as Aaron Lupia (Middletown/Middletown) flied out to left, bringing Zinsmeister across the plate to make it 1-0 in the first.

Szukics gave up just one run in the first four innings before IUP broke a 1-1 tie with a pair of runs in the fifth. Mike Lupia (Middletown/Middletown) led off the inning with a single to left before Zinsmeister tripled to center followed by a double by Tice to give the Crimson Hawks a 3-1 lead.

Weed entered after Lock Haven threatened in the fifth by getting a pair of runners on, Weed entered to get out of the jam and gave up just one hit heading into the seventh.

It was in the seventh that IUP broke the game wide open, as David McNeill (Pittsburgh/Our Lady of Sacred Heart) led off the inning with a double to left. Sawka came in to pinch run for McNeill but Lock Haven put another one by intentionally walking Zinsmeister. Tice then gave himself up, sacrificing both runners into scoring position with a bunt. Songer was then intentionally walked to load the bases with one out, and Lock Haven would keep it there by allowing Aaron Lupia (Middletown/Middletown) to reach base on a grounder to third, getting Sawka out at home.

Uhl then stepped to the plate and blasted one over the fence in left field for a grand slam, his eighth homer of the year, to give IUP a commanding 7-1 lead.

Lock Haven did manage one hit in the bottom half, but Weed got two groundouts and a strikeout to finish off the Bald Eagles in the second game.

The Crimson Hawks had nine more hits in game two, including two each from Zinsmeister and Tice at the top of the order. Zinsmeister scored three runs while IUP had four extra base hits on the day.

The Crimson Hawks (23-23-1, 9-13) will complete the series with Lock Haven on Sunday, as the home doubleheader has been moved back one day due to poor weather in the forecast. IUP needs another sweep of Lock Haven plus a Cal sweep of Slippery Rock this weekend for a chance at the final spot in the PSAC tournament.