INDIANA, Pa. – Colin Claus struck out a season-high 10 and gave up just four hits but the Crimson Hawks dropped the first of two games to Seton Hill with a 4-2 loss in the doubleheader opener Thursday at Owen Dougherty Field. Seton Hill won game two 11-5.
 
Claus struck out at least one batter in six of the seven innings he pitched in, striking out the side in the third. He went 6.2 innings and gave up four earned runs in the loss.
 
The Griffins (27-19, 16-10), who clinched a conference tournament berth with the win, scored all the runs they needed in the third inning. They scored three runs on an RBI single and a 2-run home run.
 
Outside of the third frame, Claus allowed just one base runner until the seventh inning when the Griffins got to him again. They led off the inning with a homer off Claus and with two outs hit a single to end his day.
 
The Crimson Hawks (15-28, 8-18) scored runs in the fourth and fifth off solo homers from Nick Hess and Chris Eisel. They loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh but a foul out and strike out ended the IUP threat and the game.
 
In game two, IUP took an early lead with an RBI single by Matt Swartz in the first inning. The Griffins scored three to take the lead in the second and one more in the third before an RBI hit by Ben Teplin made it a 4-2 ballgame.
 
Seton Hill scored runs in each of the next three innings to open up a 9-run lead in the seventh, where IUP tacked on three runs to wrap up the 11-5 final.
 
Jeff Allen, who was honored pregame as the recipient of IUP's 2019 Owen J. Dougherty Player of the Year, exited in the fifth inning after striking out four and giving up four earned runs on eight hits.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks wrap up their series with Seton Hill and their 2019 season Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader in Greensburg. First pitch is 1 p.m.
 
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