JOHNSTOWN, Pa. –
Nate Dickey (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) was among three Crimson Hawks with four hits, but IUP succumbed to a pair of late-inning comebacks by Pitt-Johnstown, dropping both ends of a doubleheader Sunday at Point Stadium.
Ted DeSanti (Erie, Pa./Erie Cathedral Prep) and
Chris Eisel (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) also each had a combined four hits in the doubleheader as the Crimson Hawks lost by scores of 7-6 and 12-9.
It was the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division opener for both teams with IUP falling to 3-11 overall and 0-2 in the division.
The Crimson Hawks collected 23 hits on the afternoon, including seven for extra bases, compared to 15 hits for Pitt-Johnstown (4-10, 0-2).
Wes Carson (Woodstock, Md./Marriots Ridge) had two doubles and
Matt Swartz (Sarver PA/Freeport) drove in three runs. Eisel scored four times.
Jeff Allen (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg Area) saw the most success on the mound for the Crimson Hawks, going 4.1 innings in relief in the opener, giving up three runs – none earned – on two hits while fanning three. He was credited with the loss, as his runner came across the plate with two outs on a throwing error while
Christian McClure (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) was on the hill.
Game One: Pitt-Johnstown 7, IUP 6
An early RBI single by Swartz was erased with four second inning runs by Pitt-Johnstown. IUP came back with one in the fifth on a double steal, with Eisel scoring to make it 4-2.
After the Mountain Cats added two in the sixth, IUP came back with two of its own, with a sacrifice fly by
Anthony Rigous (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) and a run-scoring double by
Chris Calliari (Brockway, Pa./Brockway Area). IUP tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the seventh, opening up the scoring with an RBI single by Dickey, scoring
Dan Sepic (York, Pa./Central York). DeSanti followed with a double to right center to bring around Dickey to tie the game.
Allen struck out the first batter of the seventh and then forced a groundout, but back-to-back walks helped lead to Pitt-Johnstown's win.
Game Two: Pitt-Johnstown 12, IUP 9
The Mountain Cats got on the board with five runs in the second. IUP responded by batting around in the third, scoring seven runs on seven hits to take a 7-5 lead.
Cory Wheeler (Butler, Pa./Butler) started things with an RBI triple, while Sepic, DeSanti, Carson and Calliari each drove in runs during the inning.
After the Crimson Hawks took a 9-5 lead in the sixth, Pitt-Johnstown scored seven runs on six hits to take a three-run lead. All of the Mountain Cats' hits and runs came with two outs.
Up next
Today was the first of two rescheduled in this series. Originally set for Friday and Saturday, the four-game set will be wrapped up Monday with a pair of games at Point Stadium in Johnstown. First pitch is 1 p.m.
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