INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP baseball team bounced back in game two, holding off a Clarion surge and winning the contest in bizarre fashion with a walk-off balk for a 9-8 triumph. Clarion secured the win in game one, knocking off IUP by a 13-4 count.
IUP is now 14-6 and 6-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). The Hawks are tied atop the PSAC West standings following action on Friday as team's begin to get into a consistent schedule of conference play.
Peyton Johnson was plunked to start the bottom of the seventh inning in game two. A walk to
Zach Miller and an intentional walk to
Harrison Pontoli loaded the bases, setting the stage for the eventual balk that won the game for the Crimson Hawks.
Clarion is now 5-9 overall and 2-6 in the league.
Game One: Clarion 13, IUP 4
Clarion stormed out of the gates in the opening game with three runs, continuing to keep its foot on the gas throughout. Overall, the Golden Eagles pushed across a run in six of seven innings, breaking the game open with four runs in the sixth.
The Crimson Hawks registered single runs in four different innings but could never get closer than two in the opening game.
Robert Carfagno and
Davin Landers posted a pair of hits each for the Hawks. Grant Snyder and Darren Byers led Clarion with three hits apiece.
IUP utilized five total pitchers in the contest.
Game Two: IUP 9, Clarion 8
IUP lead 8-0 after three innings, only to see Clarion battle back the rest of the way and level the score in the sixth.
David Kessler, Landers and
Peyton Johnson all registered run-scoring knocks in the first inning for IUP, which held a 5-0 advantage early on.
Brady Yard laced a double to right center, scoring
Ricardo Aponte and
Harrison Pontoli in the second. Carfagno raced home on an error as IUP ballooned the lead to 8-0.
Clarion registered three runs each in the fifth in sixth innings and worked the score tied. The Hawks wound up with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, winning the game on a balk.
Copper Baxter delivered two innings of relief on the mound, earning the victory. Yard and Kessler registered three hits and two RBI each.
Up Next
IUP is back in action on Tuesday, April 2 for a nine inning game against West Liberty from Dougherty Field. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m.
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