GREENSBURG, Pa. – IUP scored four runs in the eighth inning of the night cap to come away with a 9-5 game two victory, splitting its Sunday doubleheader against Seton Hill. The Griffins took game one by a score of 3-2.
The four-run rally started with one out, with
Chris Calliari (Brockway, Pa./Brockway) doubling down the right field line to score
Ted DeSanti (Erie, Pa./Erie Cathedral Prep).
Chris Schaedel (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) followed with another double to the gap in right center and later scored on a wild pitch.
Dan Sepic (York, Pa./Central York) drove in the final run of the game, singling to right to bring around
Cory Wheeler (Butler, Pa./Butler).
Sepic, who had moved to the mound in the seventh inning, remaining on the rubber to get the final three outs without allowing a hit or a run to clinch the IUP victory. Sepic picked up the victory in relief, improving to 3-2 with three strikeouts in 2.0 innings of work.
The Crimson Hawks moved to 15-20 overall and 7-9 in the PSAC West with the split, while Seton Hill improved to 26-10 and 11-5.
The game was tied at 4-4 heading to the seventh, when
Rick Jones (New Castle, Pa./Laurel) drove in the go-ahead run with a single to left center. Seton Hill tied things up in the bottom half, sending it to extra innings with a single up the middle.
The Crimson Hawks outhit Seton Hill 13 hits to four in game two, with Wheeler, Sepic, Jones, DeSanti and Calliari each collecting two. Both of Wheeler's hits were doubles, his team-leading 11th and 12th of the season.
The Griffins' 3-2 game one victory was a walk-off, scoring the winner on a two-out single to center. Seton Hill had scored the first runs of the game with a pair in the fourth inning, before IUP knotted the score in the sixth with a two-run single off the bat of
Anthony Rigous (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North).
Michael Klingensmith (Punxsutawney, Pa./Punxsutawney) went the distance on the mound for IUP, allowing eight and three earned runs.
Three weeks remain in the regular season as the Crimson Hawks continue to battle for one of the four playoff spots in the division. IUP will begin its four-game series with California (Pa.) this weekend, starting with a road doubleheader on Friday.
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP baseball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPbaseball.