INDIANA, Pa. –
Ryan Uhl (St. Marys, Pa./St. Marys) totaled four home runs, including three in game two alone, as the Crimson Hawks picked up a win and a tie with Pitt-Johnstown in a conference baseball doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.
IUP won the opener 4-3 in nine innings and tied with the Mountain Cats 15-15 in an eight-inning game two that was called due to darkness. Each game lasted more than three hours as the doubleheader – which began at 1 p.m. – wrapped up at 7:50 p.m.
The Crimson Hawks improved to 13-16-1 overall and 9-10-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division, a half-game behind Slippery Rock for fourth with eight league games yet to play.
Uhl's four blasts brought his season total to 19 and his career total to 32 as he continues to put together possibly the best hitting season in IUP history.
His first homer of the day came with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning of game one, a solo shot over the left field fence that tied things up at 3-3 and helped send the game to extra innings.
IUP pitchers
Zac LaNeve (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) and
Hunter Bigler (Washington/Trinity) then tossed two straight scoreless innings, including pitching out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the ninth. After a pair of singles and a walk, Bigler stepped to the mound with one out and fanned the final two batters to keep the game tied.
Ted DeSanti (Erie/Erie Cathedral Prep) was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom half and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Mike Lupia (Middletown/Middletown).
Austin Mock (State College, Pa./State College) then stepped to the plate and ripped a single to left center, scoring DeSanti from second and giving the Crimson Hawks the 4-3 victory.
Bigler earned the win, improving to 2-1 on the season.
Matt Douglas (Canonsburg/Canon-McMillan) got the start, striking out six and giving up three runs in five innings of work.
Uhl continued to show his power in the second game, as he helped the Crimson Hawks score 10 runs in the opening inning with a pair of three-run homers to left center.
IUP went on to score two more in the second to take a 12-1 lead over the Mountain Cats, but UPJ would plug away at the Crimson Hawks' lead, scoring four runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to make it a 12-9 ballgame.
Uhl hit his fourth home run of the game in the fifth, a solo shot that gave IUP a 13-9 lead. It was also his fourth home run in his last five plate appearances, with a walk in the third breaking up the streak.
The Mountain Cats came right back with three more in the sixth, making it a one-run game at 13-12. Lupia's sacrifice fly in the bottom half scored LaNeve to make it 14-12 and two batters later, with one out and the bases loaded, UPJ intentionally walked Uhl to force in a run and give IUP a 15-12 lead.
That lead wouldn't hold, as UPJ managed three runs on three hits to tie the game heading to the bottom of the seventh. Both teams would have chances to score over the next inning-and-a-half, but they would combine to leave five runners on base before the game was called as the sun set.
In all, Uhl finished the day 4-for-5 with those four round trippers, nine RBI and four runs scored. He also drew five walks on the day, with those of those intentional.
Chris Schaedel (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) also had four hits while Mock and Bigler totaled three. Lupia and Mock drove in three runs each.
The Crimson Hawks are back on the field on Tuesday when they host Penn State Allegheny in a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk.
