INDIANA, Pa. - The Crimson Hawks used a 5-run fourth inning to take command of game one and hold on for an 8-5 victory, as the IUP baseball team split a doubleheader with 13th-ranked Seton Hill Sunday at Dougherty Field. The Griffins rallied in game two for a 9-5 win.
IUP split its four-game weekend series with the Griffins, winning the opening game on Saturday in Greensburg. The Hawks exit the weekend with a 12-11 overall record, including 5-3 in the PSAC West. Seton Hill is now 18-6-1 overall and 6-2 in the division.
Through two weekends of divisional play, the Hawks have five wins (in eight games) against nationally-ranked opponents.
This is the fastest to 12 wins for the Crimson Hawks since the 2013 season when they started 12-7 and finished the year 27-23, including 13-11 in the division.
Game one
The Hawks opened the scoring, putting runs across the plate in the first and second innings to take a 3-0 lead.
Seton Hill came back in the third, getting three runs off two hits, a walk, a hit-by-pitch and an error. IUP starter
Jimmy Tooley settled down after that inning, stranding three runners while not allowing a run over the next three innings.
In the fourth,
Nick Hess and
Torrey Roper hit back-to-back singles and a
Jake Cherry walk loaded the bases. A
Colin Williams single then brought in Hess for the first run while a wild pitch then scored Roper to give IUP a 5-3 lead. Two batters later,
Harrison Pontoli ripped a single up the middle to score two before coming around on a triple by
Markus Cestra.
Seton Hill managed two runs in the seventh off of closer
Eli Glass, but he worked out of a jam with the tying run at the plate to preserve the win.
Tooley improved to 4-0, giving up seven hits and three earned runs over 6.0 innings of work, fanning five.
Game two
The Griffins took a 5-0 lead in the top of the third on the strength of four extra base hits.
IUP came back in the bottom of the third with some extra power of its own as
Davin Landers and Williams hit back-to-back doubles. The Hawks scored twice in the inning, first one Williams' double then on an RBI single by Au'Sean Owens.
Seton Hill increased its lead over the next three innings, scoring in the fourth, fifth and sixth to take a 9-2 lead. IUP made it a game in the final frame, getting RBIs from Williams, Owens and
Andrew Schell.
Up next
The Hawks have a mid-week non-league nine inning game at Lock Haven on Tuesday. They'll play Cal U in a four-game set next weekend.
Follow
For coverage of the IUP baseball program, follow the Crimson Hawks on Twitter and Instagram @IUPBaseball and online at IUPAthletics.com.
