INDIANA, Pa. –
Austin Mock (State College, Pa./State College) hit three home runs and drove in six as he helped the Crimson Hawks to a conference baseball doubleheader sweep of visiting Gannon as IUP celebrated Senior Day at Dougherty Field on Saturday.
Mock finished the day 4-for-7, with his fourth hit being a run-scoring double. It was one of his six runs batted in on the day, finishing with a 2.000 slugging percentage and three runs scored. IUP defeated the Golden Knights with scores of 7-2 and 9-5, combining for 24 hits in the twin bill.
The Crimson Hawks end their 2015 season with a 22-21-1 overall record and finish in fifth place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division with a 13-14-1 league mark.
IUP got out to an early lead in the opener, as
Jordan Giannini (Latrobe/Greater Latrobe),
Scott Hess (Erie/Erie Cathedral Prep) and
Matt Eperesi (Cranberry Twp./Mars) all crossing the plate in the second inning. Gannon picked up on run in the third before Mock's first home run of the day in the bottom half highlighted a three-run stanza as the Crimson Hawks jumped on top by a score of 6-1.
Mock's double in the fourth put IUP on top 7-1 and the Golden Knights managed one in the seventh as the Crimson Hawks closed out the five-run victory.
Hunter Bigler (Washington/Trinity) started the game on the mound for IUP, striking out five and giving up just one earned run in 5.2 innings of work to pick up the win and finish the year with a 4-1 record.
Zac LaNeve (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) tossed the last four outs in relief, giving up one earned and three hits.
IUP had 10 hits in the opener, with two each by Mock, Hess, Eperesi and
Anthony Rigous (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North). Eperesi finished the game with three RBI while Mock had two and
Ted DeSanti (Erie/Erie Cathedral Prep) drove in a sixth.
It was Gannon that jumped out to an early lead in the nightcap with two runs in the first and another run in the second. The Crimson Hawks got on the board in the third inning on Mock's second home run of the game, a blast over the fence in center to make it a 3-2 score.
The Golden Knights (17-27, 7-21) extended their lead back to three with a pair of runs in the fourth, but IUP got those two right back as Bigler and
Tyler Mroz (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) drove in runs in the bottom half to make it a 5-4 ballgame.
IUP took the lead in the sixth, exploding for five runs, including a three-run shot by Mock, to go on top 9-5.
Justin Charles (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York) then tossed a scoreless seventh to lock up the four-run victory and the sweep.
Matt Douglas (Canonsburg/Canon-McMillan) earned the victory in relief, giving up two earned runs on six hits in three innings to finish the year at 4-1.
The Crimson Hawks tallied 14 hits in the game, including a 3-for-4 outing by
Jonathan O'Neill (Pittsburgh/Chartiers Valley). The top four hitters in the IUP lineup – which included O'Neill – went a combined 8-for-14 with three extra base hits, seven RBI, and four runs scored.
The season concludes the collegiate careers of seven IUP seniors, who were honored in between games on Saturday. The list includes
John Beatty (New Castle/Mohawk),
Mike Lupia (Middletown/Middletown), Mock, Mroz, O'Neill,
Ryan Uhl (St. Marys, Pa./St. Marys) and
Kyle Zaorski (Reading/Muhlenberg). The group was apart of 92 wins over the last four years, including three 20-win seasons.
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk.
