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Game 1 Box Score
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Game 2 Box Score
WASHINGTON, Pa. (April 24) – Trailing by four runs in the nightcap entering the bottom of the seventh, junior left fielder
Sean Welsh (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) capped a five-run rally with a walk-off single on Saturday afternoon at CONSOL Energy Park to lead the California University of Pennsylvania baseball team to a split against Lock Haven in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play, falling 14-13 before winning 9-8 on Senior Day.
With the split, the Vulcans finish the regular season with a 28-16 overall record and 17-7 mark in league action. Cal U will now face Mansfield in the first round of PSAC Tournament on Wednesday, April 28, at Point Stadium in Johnstown, Pa. Meanwhile, the Bald Eagles close the year with a 16-28 overall mark and 7-17 in divisional play.
In Game 2, Cal U trailed 8-4 before scoring five runs on five hits and one error to post its first walk-off victory of the season. Freshman third baseman
Evan King (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) opened the inning with a single and moved to second when senior right fielder
Sam DiMatteo (Center, Pa./Center) reached on a walk. Sophomore center fielder
Troy Handza (Glenshaw, Pa./Shaler) and junior second baseman
Aaron Ordy (Butler, Pa./Butler) followed with RBI singles to cut the deficit to 8-6 with one out. The Vulcans made it a one-run contest when Handza scored on a throwing error and then tied the game at 8-8 when sophomore pinch hitter
Kyle Bowser (Stoystown, Pa./North Star) delivered a RBI single through the right side. With runners on the corners, Welsh collected the game-winning hit down the right-field line, scoring freshman pinch runner
Kyle Misch (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South) from second.
The Bald Eagles opened the game with a 2-0 lead in the first before Handza belted a solo longball (10th of the season) and a RBI single by freshman designated hitter
Kyle Petty (Stewartsville, N.J./Phillipsburg). Lock Haven regained the lead with two runs in the third and the teams traded runs in the fifth inning. The Bald Eagles then plated three runs in the top of the sixth to take an 8-3 lead before the Vulcans scored a run on an error in the bottom of the inning.
Redshirt sophomore
Ryan Hulme (Aliquippa, Pa./Center) earned the victory throwing 1.0 scoreless inning of relief. Senior starter
Nick Schreiber (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle Antrim) took a no-decision after allowing eight runs (all earned) on nine hits and three walks in 5.1 innings of work. Lock Haven's Dan Knapp suffered the loss after being roughed up for five runs (four earned) on five hits in only 0.1 inning.
Handza finished the game, going 2-for-2 with three RBI and two runs scored. King and Welsh each collected two hits, while Petty registered a pair of RBI.
In Game 1, Lock Haven took a quick 3-0 lead in the first before Cal U scored two runs in the second. The Bald Eagles answered with six runs in the top of the third to take a 9-2 lead. The Vulcans countered with three runs, highlighted by a two-run homer from Petty, in the bottom of the inning. Cal U then cut the deficit to 9-7 behind back-to-back RBI doubles from Handza and junior first baseman
Adam Links (New Hope, Pa./Central Bucks East) in the fourth.
The Vulcans took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fifth after scoring five runs on four hits. Junior shortstop
Casey Teagarden (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) laced a two-run triple before scoring on a RBI single by King. Handza then delivered a two-run homer to straight-away center field.
In the top of the fifth, Lock Haven scored five runs after taking advantage of two errors to reclaim the lead, 14-12. In the sixth, Petty answered with his second homer of the game to make it a one-run contest. After back-to-back strikeouts to start the bottom of the seventh, the Vulcans had the game-tying run in scoring position and the winning run at-bat when the game ended.
Petty anchored the offensive attack in Game 1, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, two homers, three RBI and four runs scored. Handza finished 2-for-3 with a double, homer, three RBI and three runs, while King was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs.
Petty, who started the game at catcher, was saddled with the loss after allowing one run (unearned) on one hit in 2.0 innings of relief. Senior starter
Ryan Lavrusky (Temple Terrace, Fla./King) yielded six runs (four earned) on eight hits in 2.1 innings of work. Bald Eagles' reliever Tyler Golden earned the victory despite allowing five runs (all earned) on four hits in 1.1 innings.
Cal U returns to action when it opens play at the double-elimination PSAC Tournament on Wednesday against Mansfield, who is the third seed from the PSAC Eastern Division. In their last meeting, the Vulcans defeated the Mountaineers in the opening round of the 2004 PSAC Tournament, 12-5, en route to winning the conference title.
