WASHINGTON, Pa. (April 16) – Facing one of the premier pitchers in the country, the California University of Pennsylvania baseball team swept a doubleheader against Pitt-Johnstown in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play at Wild Things Park on Friday afternoon, winning 2-0 and 11-6.
With the sweep, the Vulcans improve to 18-8 overall behind a 9-5 mark in league play. Cal U now sits second in the PSAC West standings with a .643 winning percentage, while its nine wins are the most in the division. Meanwhile, the Mountain Cats drop to 12-10 this season with an 8-6 record in conference action.
In Game 1, senior
Nick Riggle (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) tossed a five-hit, complete-game shutout to improve to 6-1 this season. He issued zero walks and totaled three strikeouts over 7.0 innings (71 pitches). Riggle also tied former MLB pitcher
Rick Krivda (1989-91) for second place all-time in school history with 22 career victories on Friday.
UPJ starting pitcher Dylan Heid (5-1) suffered the loss in Game 1 after scattering two hits and two walks over 6.0 innings (96 pitches) while recording 12 strikeouts. He entered play ranked second in the country with a 0.54 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) and eighth nationally with a 0.81 ERA. Heid continues to lead the PSAC this spring with 69 strikeouts in 39.1 innings pitched.
Riggle forced the Mountain Cats to leave runners on first and second in both the second and third innings. Heid issued back-to-back walks to start the third before retiring the next two batters. Senior third baseman
Louden Conte (California, Pa./California) then delivered a two-run single through the middle with two outs.
UPJ again stranded a pair of base runners in the fourth and finished the game with eight runners left on base. Heid retired the last 10 batters he faced in the contest following the single by Conte.
In Game 2, junior shortstop
Jacob McCaskey (Tarentum, Pa./Deer Lakes) went 3-for-3 with two RBI, three runs scored, a hit by pitch and one stolen base. Conte and junior right fielder
Patrick Brogan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) both registered three RBI, while junior left fielder
Nick Serafino (McDonald, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and junior second baseman
Anthony Venezia (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) each scored two runs.
Cal U opened the bottom of the first with back-to-back walks before McCaskey reached on an RBI single. Conte then followed with a two-run single through the left side to extend the lead to 3-0. The Mountain Cats stranded two runners in scoring position in the third before Cal U added to its lead with an RBI double by McCaskey and an RBI ground-out by Conte in the bottom of the inning, 5-0.
UPJ responded with a pair of runs in the fourth, including a solo homer by third baseman Lennx Pugh, before Cal U scored on a sacrifice fly to make it a 6-2 contest. Center fielder Tyler Smith belted a solo homer in the fifth for the Mountain Cats before freshman
Jax Miller (Pittsburgh, Pa./Avonworth) collected a pinch-hit RBI triple and scored on a single by senior first baseman
Josh Rankin (Moon Twp., Pa./Moon), 8-3.
Following a run by UPJ, Brogan lined a three-run triple down the left-field line in the bottom of the sixth to stretch the lead to 11-4. The Mountain Cats scored twice in the seventh before leaving the bases loaded.
Cal U used four different pitchers in the victory with senior
Richie Serignese (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) earning the victory. He allowed one run (earned) in 1.2 innings of relief and induced an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the fourth while the Vulcans held a 5-2 lead.
The Vulcans continue their series with the Mountain Cats tomorrow, Saturday, April 17, with a doubleheader at Point Stadium in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, starting at 1 p.m.
