INDIANA, Pa. – For the first time in six years, IUP baseball will compete for a conference title as the Crimson Hawks clinched a tournament berth during a doubleheader sweep of Pitt-Johnstown at Owen Dougherty Field on Thursday.
The Crimson Hawks opening 9-3 was the clincher, and they finished the sweep off with a 3-2 walk-off victory in extra innings. IUP improved to 20-23 overall with the wins, including 16-10 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division.
Wes Carson (Woodstock, Md./Marriots Ridge) was the hero of the day, going 4-for-6 with three doubles, a home run, three RBI and four runs scored. More importantly, his final hit of the day was a double over the head of a drawn in center fielder, bringing
Anthony Rigous (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) around from second to end game two.
He was one of three Crimson Hawks totaling three hits on Thursday, as
Chris Eisel (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) went 3-for-6 with a triple and three RBI, and
Scott Hess (Erie, Pa./Erie Cathedral Prep) finished 3-for-7 with a homer and two RBI.
Ten of IUP's 17 hits went for extra bases, as
Matt Eperesi (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Mars) had two doubles,
Cory Wheeler (Butler, Pa./Butler) hit a triple, and Rigous smashed one of the Crimson Hawks' three homers.
IUP also picked up excellent performances on the mound from its pitchers, as the two starters and two relievers combined to strike out 18 in 15.0 innings pitched while giving up five runs on nine hits.
Jeff Allen (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg Area) picked up the game one win to improve to 4-1, striking out six in 6.0 innings of work.
Christian McClure (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) through a scoreless seventh to wrap up the victory. Reliever
Nick Kuhn (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) was credited with the game two win, striking out three without allowing a hit over the final two innings. He followed starter
Colin Claus (Oakdale, Pa./West Allegheny), who struck out eight and gave up just three hits through the first six frames.
Claus took a no-hitter into the fifth, with UPJ breaking it up with one out on a bloop single to center.
Sepic honored
In between IUP wins,
Dan Sepic (York, Pa./Central York) was honored with the inaugural Owen J. Dougherty Player of the Year Award, which will be given annually to the Crimson Hawks most valuable player. The award is named after former coach Owen J. Dougherty, who was part of IUP baseball from 1956 until his death in 1991. Dougherty's sons Bob and Pat were on hand to help present the award.
The 2017 PSAC Championships
IUP will be making its first conference tournament appearance since 2011. This will be the program's 14th PSAC tournament since 1973. The Championships are set for May 10-13 in Johnstown, with the PSAC West's second, third, and fourth seeds still up for grabs.
Up next
The Crimson Hawks wrap up their series with UPJ on Saturday at the Point Stadium in Johnstown. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP baseball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPBaseball.
