INDIANA, Pa. – IUP baseball secured a series win in its opening four-game slate of conference play, nabbing a 7-0 win in the opening game of Sunday's doubleheader before Clarion salvaged a game with an extra-inning win in the nightcap.
 
IUP (8-12, 3-1) held Clarion to just two hits over seven innings in the opening game, with Jimmy Tooley carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning. It was part of a masterful pitching performance for Tooley and the Crimson Hawks in game one, also receiving no shortage of run support from throughout the lineup.
 
IUP picked up the series win against Clarion (7-14, 1-3) after taking the initial two games between the two sides on Friday at Pullman Park. Sunday's games at Dougherty were rescheduled from Saturday.
 
Markus Cestra collected five base knocks between the two games, while David Kessler and Harrison Pontoli added three hits each. Peyton Johnson cracked his first home run of the season, while Ty Ren and Cooper Baxter combined to close out the opening game on the mound.pontolli
 
Tooley racked up 10 strikeouts through 5.2 innings of work, tied for the second highest total by a PSAC pitcher this season. He walked two and allowed the first hit of the game in the sixth, throwing 87 total pitches.
 
IUP plated at least one run in each of the initial four innings for a 5-0 advantage, with a Johnson homer in the fourth making it 4-0. The Hawks added two more runs in the sixth inning to close out the 7-0 victory.
 
Clarion got the bats going in game two, battling back from a late deficit to force extra innings and eventually notch the victory. In a back and forth affair, the Golden Eagles finished with 18 hits and plated three runs each in the first and ninth innings.
 
The Golden Eagles had three starters with four hots each in the nightcap, while Pontoli has three hits and two RBO for the hosts. Grant Snyder scattered two hots with five punchout over the final four innings of the second game, picking up the relief victory for the Golden Eagles.
 
For IUP, Derrick Shields got the start, giving way to Jason Madrak and Paul Tripi. Clarion jumped ahead 3-0 in the first before the Crimson Hawks responded back in the home half of the third. Pontoli scored both Matt Luchovick and Kessler with a single to right before Au'sean Owens raced home on a wild pitch.
 
IUP took its first lead of game two in the fifth inning as Torrey Roper and Andrew Sicinski delivered run-scoring singles for a 5-3 edge. The Golden Eagles used single runs in the sixth and seventh to force extras, surging ahead 8-5 in the top half of the ninth.
 
The Hawks put the first two batters on in the bottom half of the ninth with Brady Yard and Johnson each reaching with no outs. With one away, Pontoli walked to load the bases, pushing Owens to second with Zach Miller staying put at third as a pinch runner.
 
IUP eventually plated a run on a passed ball before a groundout ended the game at 8-6.
 
 
Up Next
IUP travels to Kutztown on Tuesday, March 28 for a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.
 
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