NEW CASTLE, Del. – The IUP baseball team dropped a 5-3 matchup against Wilmington (Del.) in the series finale on Sunday afternoon.
IUP (6-4) had its six-game winning streak snapped, while Wilmington improves to 10-7 overall.
Harrison Pontolli paced IUP with a pair of hits and an RBI. The Crimson Hawks drew seven walks, including three from
Ricardo Aponte, who added a base hit and a run scored.
Nathan Mankoski,
Jimmy Tooley and
Casen Sandri split time on the mound on Sunday.
Tooley went 4.1 innings in relief, allowing two runs on three hits. He was tagged with the loss, posting three strikeouts over 62 pitches.
Wilmington opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the third.
Peyton Johnson ripped a double to center, plating Aponte as IUP got back within 2-1 in the fourth inning. With two away, Aponte drew a walk before Johnson delivered in the next trip to the plate.
The Wildcats executed a double steal in the home half of the fourth, pushing the lead to 3-1. IUP countered back in the fifth with its final burst of offense of the day. With
Davin Landers and
Mateo Cepullio on base,
Zach Miller moved the duo to second and third with a sacrifice bunt.
Pontoli put a ball in play along the right side for an infield single, which Cepullio scored on following a throwing error. That leveled the score at three before a fielder's choice with the bases loaded ended the Crimson Hawk threat.
The Pontoli RBI was the 108th of his IUP career, pushing him to sole possession of eighth in program history. He is now three RBI shy of matching Austin Mock (111) for seventh all-time.
Wilmington surged ahead for good in the eighth with a double and sacrifice fly, each bringing home a run for the final 5-3 margin.
Up Next
IUP visits Lock Haven on Tuesday, March 19 for a 1:00 p.m. matchup.
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