• Game 1 Box Score
• Game 2 Box Score

WASHINGTON, Pa. (April 20) – In a battle for first place, the California University of Pennsylvania baseball team managed a split of a doubleheader with Gannon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play on Saturday afternoon at CONSOL Energy Park, falling 3-2 before winning 8-0.

With the split, the Vulcans equal their win total from last season and improve to 26-11 overall. Cal U and Gannon remain tied for first place in the divisional standings with identical 10-4 marks in league action. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights move to 18-12 this season.

In Game 2, sophomore Justin Taylor (Julian, Pa./Bald Eagle) tossed his third-straight, complete-game shutout and limited Gannon to just two hits. He finished with five strikeouts and issued no walks in 7.0 innings (70 pitches), retiring 17-straight batters after allowing two base runners in the first. Golden Knights starter Matt Tobin (3-3) suffered the loss after yielding seven runs (six earned) on 15 hits in 5.0 innings (79 pitches).

After a scoreless first, the Vulcans scored a pair of runs with two outs in the bottom of the second. Sophomore shortstop Matt Peters (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby) opened the inning with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt before scoring on a two-out single through the middle by sophomore catcher Will Kaufman (Roanoke, Va./Patrick Henry). Following a walk, junior third baseman Derrik Zeroski (Clinton, Pa./West Allegheny) delivered an RBI single up the middle to score Kaufman from second. Cal U added a pair of runs in the third when Peters scored on an RBI single by freshman center fielder Mick Fennell (Butler, Pa./Butler) and a fielding error on the play allowed senior right fielder Chuck Gasti (Carmichaels, Pa./Carmichaels) to score from first, 4-0.

In the fourth, senior first baseman Kyle Petty (Stewartsville, N.J./Phillipsburg) lined an RBI single to right-center field before Cal U stretched the lead to 7-0 with two runs in the fifth. Peters led off with a double and scored on a bunt single by Fennell, who later scored on a single by junior second baseman Giovanni Morales (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep). The Vulcans scored their final run of the game on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth, 8-0.

Peters finished 3-for-3 with one RBI and three runs scored, while Petty and Zeroski also collected three hits and one RBI. Fennell went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run after making his third start in center field this year. Gasti and Morales also both finished with a pair of hits in the victory.

In Game 1, the Golden Knights broke a 2-2 tie with a run in the top of the seventh. Cal U had two runners on base in the bottom of the inning before suffering its fifth one-run loss of the season.

Cal U took a 1-0 lead in the first on a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded before Gannon tied the game in the third. The Vulcans reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the inning with a two-out RBI single through the right side by senior first baseman AJ Robinson (Milesburg, Pa./Bald Eagle) scored Petty from second. Gannon again tied the game in the fourth when freshman pitcher Aaron Cox, who reached on a triple, scored on a throw to first following a strikeout, 2-2. The Golden Knights broke the tie with a bases-loaded walk in the seventh before a strikeout and double play kept the score at 3-2.

Sophomore starter GJ Senchak (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) was saddled with the loss after allowing three runs (all earned) on six hits and three walks in 6.0-plus innings (95), while posting seven strikeouts. Cox (5-0) earned the complete-game victory after yielding two runs (both earned) on five hits and three walks in 7.0 innings (105 pitches).

The Vulcans continue their series against Gannon with a doubleheader tomorrow, Sunday, April 21, in Erie, Pa., starting at 1 p.m.