WASHINGTON, Pa. (March 5) – The Vulcans closed their four-game weekend series with Davis & Elkins on Sunday afternoon with a doubleheader split, posting a 4-1 win in Game 1 before suffering a 5-2 loss in Game 2.
With the split, the California University of Pennsylvania baseball team stands at 3-5 this season - playing every game at home. Meanwhile, Davis & Elkins moves to 3-10 overall after winning a pair of games this weekend.
In Game 1, sophomore left fielder
Eric Fairman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) hit a two-run homer in the second inning and scored two runs. Junior right fielder
Chris Wastchak (Peters Twp., Pa./Peters Township) reached base in all three plate appearances (two walks, hit by pitch) and scored one run in the victory.
Fairman gave the Vulcans a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second with a home run after Wastchak led the inning off with a walk. Cal U added to its lead in the bottom of the third by executing a double steal. With senior first baseman
David Marcus on third (Whitby, Ontario/Father Leo J. Austin) and Fairman on first, Fairman stole second which allowed Marcus to make a late break for home and increase the lead to 3-0. The Vulcans manufactured another run in the inning when sophomore designated hitter
Kristian Webb (Whitby, Ontario/Sinclair) lined a ball off the glove of the D&E shortstop that allowed Fairman to score from third after he advanced to third on the throw attempt to get Marcus out at home.
Senior starter
Andre Jones (New Castle, Pa./Union) tossed 3.0 scoreless innings before a pair of relievers worked 4.0 hitless innings to seal the victory. Freshman
Corey Fogle (Connellsville, Pa./Connellsville) improved to 2-0 this season after allowing one run on two walks in 2.0 innings of work, while classmate
Richie Serignese (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) recorded two strikeouts in his first career save with 2.0 shutout innings.
D&E starter Noah Jarboe suffered the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks in 3.0 innings.
In Game 2, the Vulcans held a 2-1 lead after five innings before the Senators tied the game in the sixth inning. D&E then scored three runs in the top of the seventh to seize a 5-2 lead before holing Cal U scoreless in the bottom of the inning to earn the victory.
After leaving the bases loaded in the first, Cal U took a 1-0 lead in the second on an RBI double from junior shortstop
Austin Logan (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) that scored Webb, who started the inning with a single. Junior pitcher
Carter Krick (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) held the Senators hitless through the first four innings before the Senators led off the fifth with a double. D&E tied the game at 1-1 in the the top of the fifth before the Vulcans reclaimed the lead in the bottom half on a solo homer by Marcus to right field, his first longball since March 26, 2016.
The Senators countered with a two-out run in the top of the sixth and took the lead in the seventh after scoring three runs on five hits, including back-to-back doubles. Senior center fielder
Taylor Zackman (Bordentown, N.J./Bordentown Regional) reached on a two-out double in the seventh before a fly-out would end the game.
In his first appearance of the season, Krick allowed one run on three hits in 4.2 innings. Junior
Levi Krause (East Berlin, Pa./Spring Grove) was saddled with the loss after allowing three runs on four hits in the seventh inning. D&E starter Derek Sicca earned the complete-game victory after yielding two runs on six hits and two walks over 7.0 innings.
Marcus finished the game 2-for-3 with a solo homer and Webb also went 2-for-3 with one run scored.
Cal U returns to action when it opens its spring trip to Wilson, North Carolina, on Saturday, March 11, against West Virginia State at 10 a.m. The Vulcans are scheduled to play six games against regional opponents in North Carolina from March 11-15.
