WASHINGTON, Pa. (April 12) – Behind a pair of complete games from juniors Nick Riggle (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) and Bradyn Kail (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) on Friday evening, the Vulcans earned a doubleheader sweep over Clarion at Wild Things Park, claiming a 3-1 victory before collecting a 5-1 win in Game 2 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
 
With the sweep, the California University of Pennsylvania baseball team improves to 24-8 overall behind a 10-4 mark in league action. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles fall to 15-19 this season with a 5-9 mark in divisional action. Cal U and Clarion were the only PSAC West teams in action today after rain in the area forced several games to be pushed back to later in the weekend.
 
In Game 1, Riggle improved to 5-1 on the season after tossing his fourth-straight complete game of the season. He surrendered just one run (earned) on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts in 7.0 innings (102 pitches). Riggle retired the side three times in the contest, while recording nine fly-outs and six ground-outs. The Keystone Oaks product boasts a 1.34 ERA over 47.0 innings pitched in seven starts this year. Clarion sophomore Nate Torbich was saddled with the loss (2-3) after yielding three runs (all earned) on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings (82 pitches).
 
In the top of the first, the Vulcans recorded a strikeout and caught stealing at second base on the same play. Clarion redshirt junior Chandler Palyas then posted a double to left-center before sophomore Brian Casper hit an RBI single into right field to take a 1-0 advantage. Cal U went scoreless in the bottom half of the first inning before Riggle retired the side in the top of the second frame. In the bottom half of the second, junior designated hitter Corey Fogle (Connellsville, Pa./Connellsville) laced a double down the right-field line with two outs before sophomore third baseman Louden Conte (California, Pa./California) and freshman shortstop Jacob McCaskey (Tarentum, Pa./Deer Lakes) drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Junior left fielder Aaron Previsky (California, Pa./California) then registered a three-run double into right-center, as the Vulcans claimed a 3-1 lead.
 
The Golden Eagles stranded a runner in scoring position in the third before Riggle went three-up, three-down in the fourth. Cal U looked to add to the lead in the bottom of the fifth after senior center fielder Ben Maudie (Jackson, Mo./Jackson) singled to left field and advanced to second on a stolen base, With two outs, senior first baseman Eric Fairman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) drew a walk before the Vulcans left both runners on base. After a scoreless sixth inning, Clarion attempted to rally in the seventh after a pair of singles placed the tying run on first base. With two outs, Riggle forced a line-out to center field to secure the 3-1 victory.
 
Previsky finished 1-for-2 with three RBI, while Conte went 1-for-2 with one run scored. Fogle finished 1-for-3 with one run scored, plus Maudie went 1-for-3 with one stolen base.
 
In Game 2, Kail earned the win (6-1) after tossing his second complete game of the season. He allowed just one run (earned) on three hits with one walk and matched a career high with nine strikeouts over 7.0 innings (88 pitches). Kail retired the side in order four times and did not surrender a hit after the third inning. The Maryland native currently leads the team with six wins and 40 strikeouts this year. Golden Eagle sophomore Kyle Thompson suffered the loss (3-5) after yielding five runs (all earned) on four hits with one walk in 1.2 innings.
 
After a scoreless first inning, Cal U scored five runs on five hits in the bottom of the second to build an early advantage. Fogle led off with a single to center field and Conte followed to a double down the left-field line to place a pair of runners in scoring position. Freshman right fielder Patrick Brogan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) then hit a sacrifice fly to score Fogle before McCaskey laced an RBI single to center field, 2-0. Freshman catcher Justin Stewart (Butler, Pa./Butler) reached on a fielder's choice before Previsky recorded a single and Maudie drew a walk to load the bases. With two outs, senior second baseman Nico Marchetti (Laurel, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) cleared the bases with a double to left-center to extend the lead to 5-0. Clarion stranded a pair of runners in the top of the third frame before cutting the deficit to 5-1 on an RBI ground-out in the fourth inning. Both teams combined for just one hit over the final three innings, as the Vulcans claimed a 5-1 win.
 
Brogan and McCaskey each finished 1-for-2 with one RBI, while Marchetti went 1-for-3 with three RBI. Fairman tallied his 30th stolen base of the year in Game 2 to become only the seventh player in Cal U history to reach the single-season milestone. He now ranks seventh in single-season school history in stolen bases after passing Robert Hedrick (2005-08).
 
The Vulcans returns to action tomorrow, Saturday, April 13, when they continue the series against Clarion at Historic Pullman Park in Butler, Pennsylvania, starting at 1 p.m.