WASHINGTON, Pa. (April 17) – In a contest featuring two of the top teams in the Atlantic Region, the Vulcans rallied to score five-unanswered runs and secure a 5-2 victory against Charleston (W.Va.) on Wednesday night at Wild Things Park in non-conference play.
 
With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania baseball team extends its winning streak to six games and improves to 27-8 overall behind a 15-3 mark at home this year. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles drop to 26-12 this season after playing their sixth game in five days. Charleston claimed the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship and won a program record 36 games last season.
 
The Golden Eagles threatened in the second inning after having a pair of runners in scoring position with one out. The Vulcans escaped on a foul-out and a line-out to keep the game scoreless. Charleston left a runner in scoring position in the third and fourth frames before junior designated hitter Corey Fogle (Connellsville, Pa./Connellsville) led off the bottom half with a single through the left side. With two outs, freshman shortstop Jacob McCaskey (Tarentum, Pa./Deer Lakes) laced a single to center field, but a ground-out halted the inning.

In the top of the fifth, the Golden Eagles posted a single and double to start the inning before sophomore Jordan Bailey delivered a single to center field to take a 2-0 advantage. Cal U countered in the bottom of the fifth by drawing a pair of walks with one out. Senior first baseman Eric Fairman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) then registered an RBI single up the middle that scored sophomore left fielder Bill Hitman (Norristown, Pa./Pope John Paul II) before a fielding error on the play allowed senior second baseman Nico Marchetti (Laurel, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) to score from first base, as the Vulcans tied the game at 2-2. Fairman advanced to third on the error before being tagged out at home on a fielder's choice on the following play.
 
Cal U grabbed a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth when McCaskey reached on a single and scored on a three-base error, as he slid in safely at home after the ball bounced over the center fielder and went to the wall. Both teams were retired in order in the seventh before the Vulcans tallied two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Fogle led off with a single through the left side before sophomore Zach Logan (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) entered as a pinch runner. Sophomore third baseman Louden Conte (California, Pa./California) launched an RBI double to left-center before advancing to third on a ground-out. With two outs, senior catcher Kristian Webb (Whitby, Ontario/Sinclair) delivered a double to left-center to score Conte and extend the lead to 5-2. Charleston was set down in order in the ninth, as the Vulcans sealed the 5-2 win.
 
McCaskey and Fogle each finished 2-for-4, while Conte finished 1-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored. 

Freshman Dylan Brosky (East Millsboro, Pa./Brownsville) earned the win (3-1) after tossing 3.0 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit. Sophomore Hunter Robinson (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg Central) claimed his first collegiate save after working 1.0 scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout to close the game. Freshman Tyler Bedillion (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) took a no-decision after yielding two runs (earned) on eight hits with no walks and two strikeouts over 5.0 innings (78 pitches). Redshirt junior Jeffery Wong suffered the loss (1-2) after surrendering three runs (one earned) on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts in 7.0 innings (100 pitches)
 
Cal U returns to action Friday, April 19, when it travels to Seton Hill in nearby Greensburg, Pennsylvania, for PSAC West doubleheader, starting at 1 p.m.