• Box Score

PHILIPPI, W.Va. (April 16) – Senior designated hitter Kyle Petty (Stewartsville, N.J./Phillipsburg) and sophomore shortstop Matt Peters (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby) combined for 10 hits with three RBI and three runs scored each on Tuesday afternoon, as the Vulcans scored a season-high 22 runs in a 22-4 victory at Alderson-Broaddus in non-conference play.

With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania baseball team improves to 25-10 overall after having five of its previous seven games decided by one run. The Vulcans have now won at least 25 games in 14-consecutive seasons and are just one victory shy of tying last year's total. Meanwhile, A-B falls to 16-19 this season and has lost six of its last seven games.

Peters paced the offensive effort with the program's first six-hit game in over a decade, finishing 6-for-7 with a double, triple, three RBI and three runs scored. Over the last 13 games, he leads the team with a .438 average (21-for-48) and 12 runs while registered 11 RBI.

Petty went 4-for-7 with a three-run homer, three runs and two stolen bases. Junior second baseman Giovanni Morales (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) finished with three hits and three RBI before leaving in the top of the fifth, while junior right fielder Chuck Gasti (Carmichaels, Pa./Carmichaels) collected three hits, including a solo homer, and scored three times. Outfielder Chris Mitko (Columbus, Ohio/Northland) and Zak Schmidt (Moon Twp., Pa./Moon) both collected multi-hit games off the bench, while four other players scored twice in the victory.

Redshirt senior Eric Francis (New Castle, Pa./Shenango) earned the victory after tossing 2.1 innings of one-hit relief. Freshman Jack Dennis (Toronto, Ontario/Birchmount Park) and sophomore Luke Burton (Ambridge, Pa./Ambridge) closed the game with 3.0 innings of no-hit relief. Battlers starter Adam Dodson suffered the loss after being roughed up for nine runs (seven earned) on eight hits and two walks in 2.1 innings.

Cal U took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first before A-B countered with three runs in the bottom of the inning, 3-2. The Vulcans reclaimed the lead in the second when Petty belted a three-run homer after the previous two batters drew walks with two outs. Cal U stretched the lead to 9-3 lead after scoring four runs on six hits in the top of the third. Peters opened the inning with a triple and scored on an error before Gasti lined a solo homer to left-center field. Freshman left fielder Mick Fennell (Butler, Pa./Butler) then reached on an infield single before Morales delivered an RBI double and later scored on a two-out RBI single by junior center fielder Ben Carson (Coal Center, Pa./California).

The Vulcans continued to add to their lead by scoring three runs in the fourth and fifth with an RBI single by Morales in both innings, 15-4. In the sixth, Peters collected a two-out RBI single to score Schmidt from second before Cal U was held scoreless in the seventh. The Vulcans then posted their highest-scoring inning of the game in the eighth, finishing with six runs after batting around for the second time in the game. With runners on first and second, Peters lined an RBI single through the middle before Mitko collected an RBI double and junior John Orr (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) followed with an RBI single. Junior Chad Crockett (Gilmanton, N.H./Gilford) later posted an RBI double and Schmidt tallied a two-out RBI infield single after an RBI ground-out.

The Vulcans return to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play with a four-game series this weekend against Gannon, beginning with a doubleheader at CONSOL Energy Park on Friday, April 19, at 1 p.m.