JOHNSTOWN, Pa. –
Chris Schaedel (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) went 4-for-4 with four runs batted in while
Cory Wheeler (Butler, Pa./Butler) had two doubles and a triple as the IUP baseball team split a Friday doubleheader with Pitt-Johnstown at a rainy Point Stadium. IUP won game one 11-8 and lost the nightcap 14-4.
Anthony Rigous (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) also had a double, triple, home run and drove in four runs as the Crimson Hawks tallied 18 total hits on the day to move to 18-24 overall and 10-12 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division.
Schaedel, Wheeler and Rigous helped the Crimson Hawks hit 10 total extra base hits on Friday, including six doubles, two triples, and two home runs. Along with Rigous,
Chris Calliari (Brockway, Pa./Brockway) went yard, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI and scored four runs.
The 11-8 win came with some late inning drama, as the game entered the seventh tied at 8-8. With one out and a runner on, Calliari smacked his homer over the wall in right center to give the Crimson Hawks a two-run lead. Schaedel followed with a single, promptly stole second, and then crossed home plate with a double by Wheeler down the left field line.
UPJ was then put down in order in the bottom half, clinching the IUP win.
The Crimson Hawks had raced out to an early 7-0 lead with four runs in the second and three more in the third. UPJ then scored eight runs over the next three innings, including five in the fifth to tie the score. Schaedel had three of his hits and three RBI in the opening game.
In game two, UPJ scored twice in the first inning and then exploded for 11 runs in the third to take early command. IUP scored once in the fifth and three more times in the sixth but could only muster five hits in the contest.
These two teams wrap up their four-game series with a doubleheader at IUP's Dougherty Field on Saturday afternoon.
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP baseball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPbaseball.
