• Box Score

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (April 30) – The Vulcans advanced to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship Game following a thrilling 11-10 victory over Slippery Rock on Friday evening at Point Stadium in the PSAC Tournament.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania baseball team improves to 31-16 overall this season and will face No. 14 Kutztown in the league championship game, tomorrow, Saturday, May 1, at 1 p.m. The game will be a rematch of the 2004 “State Game,” which the Vulcans won 18-12. The Golden Bears advanced to this year's title contest following a 6-3 victory over IUP late Friday night.

With the tying run on base and two outs in the ninth, junior first baseman Adam Links (New Hope, Pa./Central Bucks East) made a spectacular diving play to preserve the victory. Rock catcher Mitchell Monas lined a shot down the first-base line that Links was able to knock down, but the ball rolled away from his glove into foul territory. The three-year starter retrieved the ball and dove back to touch the base with his glove before Monas reached the bag.

Senior Ryan Lavrusky (Temple Terrace, Fla./King) earned the victory after throwing a key 4.0 innings of relief, allowing three runs (all earned) on five hits. Classmate Nick Schreiber (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle) worked the final 0.2 of the ninth to earn his first save of the season (fifth of career).

The Vulcans entered the bottom of the ninth leading 11-7 after scoring two runs in the top of the inning. Slippery Rock had runners on first and second and one out before cutting the lead to three runs on a RBI double. Schreiber then relieved Lavrusky on the hill and allowed a RBI single that made it an 11-9 contest. With runners on the corners, Schreiber threw a wild pitch that quickly kicked back to freshman catcher Kyle Petty (Stewartsville, N.J./Phillipsburg). Due to the quick retrieval of the ball, Cal U was able to tag out the runner who attempted to score from third in a run-down. With the wild pitch and run-down, the runner from first advanced to third and scored on a passed ball to make in a one-run game, 11-10. Schreiber then hit a batter to put the game-tying run on base before Links made the game-ending play.

Cal U trailed 2-0 entering the third before triples by sophomore designated hitter Kyle Bowser (Stoystown, Pa./North Star) and senior right fielder Sam DiMatteo (Center, Pa./Center) trimmed the deficit to 2-1. The Vulcans then took their first lead of the game, 4-2, in the top of the fourth when Petty launched a two-run homer (third of the season; all in the last week)

Slippery Rock countered with four runs on five hits and an error in the fifth to take a 6-3 lead. The Vulcans then batted around in the seventh, scoring six runs on five hits, one error and three walks. Following a RBI groundout, Bowser lined a RBI double before scoring on a single by freshman third baseman Evan King (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg). DiMatteo then collected a RBI single and stole second before sophomore center fielder Troy Handza (Glenshaw, Pa./Shaler) drew a walk. The outfield standouts then executed a double steal to both move into scoring position. DiMatteo scored on a fielding error and Handza scored on a RBI single by junior second baseman Aaron Ordy (Butler, Pa./Butler).

With the steals in the seventh, DiMatteo broke his own single-season school record for stolen bases set last year. He reset the school mark and is now tied for third place in PSAC history with 41 stolen bases this year.

In the bottom of the seventh, Lavrusky retired the first two batters before loading the bases on two walks and a fielding error. He was then able to force a fielder's choice to shortstop to end the inning without surrendering a run.

After The Rock plated a run in the eighth, the Vulcans answered with two insurance runs in the eighth after junior left fielder Sean Welsh (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) drew a bases-loaded walk and junior shortstop Casey Teagarden (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) beat out a RBI infield single.

DiMatteo finished the game going 2-for-5 with one triple, two RBI, one run and two steals. Already the school's all-time leader with 216 hits, he also set the career record with 578 at-bats on Friday. Petty went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI, two runs and collected his first career stolen base, while Bowser added a pair of extra-base hits and scored two runs in his first action of the PSAC Tournament.

Sophomore Pat Gannon (Pittsburgh. Pa./Upper St. Clair), who made only his fourth start of the season, took a no-decision after allowing six runs (four earned) in 4.1 innings on 11 hits with several being infield singles.

Slippery Rock reliever Jason Steen (3-3) was saddled with the loss after yielding six runs (all earned) on four hits and three walks in 2.1 innings of work. Rock starter Vince Lloyd allowed three runs (all earned) on five hits over 4.0 innings.

The Vulcans are making their third appearance in the PSAC Championship in the last seven years and their first since 2007. Meanwhile, the Golden Bears have appeared in the “State Game” six times in the last 10 years, winning four conference titles. Cal U and Kutztown have previously met five times in the PSAC Tournament since 2001 with the Golden Bears winning three games. However, the Vulcans won the 2004 league championship against Kutztown, 18-12.

UPCOMING PSAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 1
Game 13 - California (Pa.) vs. Kutztown - 1 p.m.

PREVIOUS PSAC TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Wednesday, April 28
Game 1 - California (Pa.) d. Mansfield, 6-5
Game 2 - West Chester d. Slippery Rock, 7-6
Game 3 - Kutztown d. Mercyhurst 12-5
Game 4 - IUP d. East Stroudsburg, 7-3

Thursday, April 29
Game 5 - Slippery Rock d. Mansfield, 18-9 - Mansfield eliminated
Game 6 - Mercyhurst d. East Stroudsburg, 7-2 - East Stroudsburg eliminated
Game 7 - California (Pa.) d. West Chester 8-3
Game 8 - Kuztown d. IUP, 8-3

Friday, April 30
Game 9 - Slippery Rock d. West Chester, 9-5 - West Chester eliminated
Game 10 - IUP d. Mercyhurst, 14-12 - Mercyhurst eliminated
Game 11 - California (Pa.) d. Slippery Rock, 11-10 - Slippery Rock eliminated
Game 12 - Kutztown d. IUP, 6-2 - IUP eliminated