WASHINGTON, Pa. (April 2) – Senior pitcher
Nick Riggle (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) earned his 20th career victory on Friday afternoon, as the California University of Pennsylvania baseball team swept a doubleheader against IUP in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play at Wild Things Park, winning 11-3 and 14-4.
With the sweep, the Vulcans improve to 12-6 overall with a 3-3 mark in divisional action. Cal U has won eight-consecutive meetings in the series and 11 of the last 12 games dating back to the 2018 season. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks fall to 1-13 this season behind a 0-6 record in league play.
Riggle became the sixth pitcher in program history to reach the 20-win milestone and is the first since Jack Dennis and GJ Senchak both accomplished the feat in 2016. A Pittsburgh native, Riggle earned the complete-game victory to improve to 4-1 this season on Friday. He allowed three runs (all earned) on eight hits and one walk while posting five strikeouts in 7.0 innings (105 pitches). Riggle holds a 20-10 record in his career while also moving into fourth place all-time in school history with 225.0 innings pitched.
In Game 1, Cal U raced out to a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the first on just two hits after capitalizing on two errors, two walks and two hit by pitches. Junior right fielder
Patrick Brogan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) delivered a two-run single and later scored on an error. Following a bases-loaded hit by pitch, junior shortstop
Anthony Venezia (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) collected a two-run single with two outs in his second at-bat of the inning.
The Crimson Hawks scored on a sacrifice fly in the second before cutting the deficit to 6-3 on a two-run homer in the top of the third. The Vulcans responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning following five-straight walks and a sacrifice fly, 9-3.
Cal U added to the lead with a two-out error in the fifth before sophomore left fielder
David Lee (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) belted a solo homer in the sixth.
Lee finished 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored, while Venezia recorded three RBI from the leadoff spot. Freshman
Jax Miller (Pittsburgh, Pa./Avonworth), senior first baseman
Josh Rankin (Moon Twp., Pa./Moon) and sophomore designated hitter
Carter Chinn (Grove City, Pa./Grove City) each scored two runs in the victory.
In Game 2, the Vulcans scored seven runs in the fourth and added six runs in the fifth. Junior
Dylan Brosky (East Millsboro, Pa./Brownsville) improved to 5-0 this season after scatting three hits over 5.0 scoreless innings (93 pitches). He matched his season high with seven strikeouts against the Crimson Hawks.
Cal U took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a two-out RBI single by Brogan. In the fourth, senior center fielder
Aaron Previsky (California, Pa./California) recorded an RBI double to left center before scoring on a single by sophomore left fielder
Kyle Comini (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township). Cal U then loaded the bases on a pair of walks before junior third baseman
Jacob McCaskey (Tarentum, Pa./Deer Lakes) belted his second grand slam of the season, third homer of the season. Brogan reached on a two-out error before scoring from second on a RBI single by Lee.
In the fifth, junior catcher
Justin Stewart (Butler, Pa./Butler) collected an RBI double and Miller later followed with an RBI single. Brogan and Lee then belted back-to-back homers off two different pitchers to stretch the lead to 14-0. IUP avoided the shutout and batted around in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs on five hits.
The trio of McCaskey, Brogan and Lee combined for three homers and nine RBI. Brogan went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, while Lee finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. McCaskey totaled four RBI and two runs scored and Venezia posted two hits and scored two runs.
Cal U continues its weekend series with IUP tomorrow, Saturday, April 3, with a doubleheader in Indiana, Pennsylvania, at 1 p.m.
