Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
ERIE, PA – John Beatty (New Castle/Mohawk) scored the game-winning run in game one and game two featured a seven-run sixth inning by the Crimson Hawks as IUP split a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West baseball twinbill on Saturday afternoon.
 
Beatty's score helped give IUP a 3-2 win in the opener, but the late-inning run explosion in game two wasn't enough as the Crimson Hawks lost 12-9 to the Golden Knights.
 
IUP ends the day with a 14-21 overall record and an 8-14 mark in the PSAC West. Gannon is now 15-25 overall and 10-14 in the division.
 
Kyle Zaorski (Reading/Muhlenberg) went the distance in game one, improving to 3-4 on the season after striking out seven and giving up five hits and two earned runs in seven innings of work.
 
A ground-rule double by Ryan Uhl (St. Marys/St. Marys) in the fourth tied the game at 1-1 and an RBI single by Jonathan O'Neill (Pittsburgh/Chartiers Valley) in the sixth gave the Crimson Hawks a 2-1 lead. Gannon, however, got its own run-scoring hit in the bottom half of that inning to tie the game at 2-2.
 
Beatty capitalized on an error by Gannon's leftfielder to advance to second to start the seventh. Later moving to third on a bunt, he would score when Gannon had to make another infield play on fielder's choice ball off the bat of Chris Calliari (Brockway/Brockway) with one out.
 
Zaorski then came back in the bottom half to get the Golden Knights to go 1-2-3 and pick up the win.
 
The seven-spot in game two came with the Crimson Hawks well behind of Gannon 10-2 heading to the sixth. Rick Jones (New Castle/Laurel) blasted a double to right center, bringing home Mike Lupia (Middletown/Middletown) and Beatty, who had led off the inning with a single and walk, respectively. Two batters and one out later, Calliari walked to put two one before Dylan Tice (Perkasie/Pennridge) brought Beatty around on a single to left.
 
Austin Mock (State College/State College) kept things going with another single to left, bringing home Calliari and Jones to make it a 10-6 game. After a single by Uhl to load the bases, O'Neill forced a walk to bring another run home. Mock scored on the next batter as a fielder's choice got O'Neill out at second and then Uhl would come home the following batter on an error by the shortstop, closing out the scoring for IUP.
 
Gannon responded to the Crimson Hawks' scoring barrage with three insurance runs in the bottom half and allowed just one IUP runner in the seventh to close out the win.
 
Four different pitchers saw action on the mound for the Crimson Hawks, including Jared Weed (Washington Crossing/Council Rock North), who started and took the loss to fall to 2-5 on the year.
 
The Golden Knights had five runs in the second to start the scoring, adding three more in the third and two in the fourth as they took a 10-1 lead. IUP scored its first runs in the fourth and fifth, picking up one in each inning.
 
Tice had five of IUP's 14 hits on the day, going a combined 5-for-8 with a double and three runs scored. Mock and Uhl each had two hits in the doubleheader.
 
Three more doubleheaders exist in the regular season for the Crimson Hawks, starting with a home twinbill against Mercyhurst on Tuesday. They'll then get to their final four-game series, going to Clarion on Friday before hosting the Golden Eagles on Saturday.