CLARION, Pa. (April 23) – The California University of Pennsylvania baseball team claimed a doubleheader split on Friday afternoon at Clarion in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play, dropping a 4-1 contest in Game 1 before earning a 6-3 victory in Game 2.

With the split, the Vulcans stand at 20-10 this season behind an 11-7 mark in divisional action. Cal U sits in a three-way tie with Mercyhurst and Pitt-Johnstown for second place in the PSAC West standings with 10 games remaining. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles move to 5-16 overall with a 3-9 record in league play.

In Game 1, Cal U left nine runners on base and Clarion accounted for all of its runs on a pair of home runs. Senior Nick Riggle (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) suffered the loss to fall to 6-2 this season despite tying a career high with nine strikeouts. He allowed four runs (all earned) on eight hits and two walks over 6.0 innings (103 pitches)

Cal U took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly before leaving runners on the corners. The Golden Eagles threatened with a leadoff double in the bottom of the inning before taking a 3-1 lead in the third on a three-run homer by catcher Thomas Lavin. Clarion added an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth when third baseman Nick Fugh started the inning with a solo homer.

Senior first baseman Josh Rankin (Moon Twp., Pa./Moon) finished 2-for-3 with one run scored, as the Vulcans were limited to five hits in the contest.

In Game 2, junior right fielder Patrick Brogan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) went 4-for-4 with a solo homer, three RBI and two runs scored. Junior catcher Justin Stewart (Butler, Pa./Butler) finished 2-for-3 with one RBI, two runs scored and one walk, while junior second baseman Anthony Venezia (Pittsburg, Pa./Shaler) reached base twice and stole two bases.

Venezia started the game with a walk and stole second before scoring on an RBI single by Stewart. Brogan and sophomore designated hitter David Lee (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) later collected back-to-back RBI singles with two outs in the first to stretch the lead to 3-0.

In the third, Brogan delivered a two-out RBI single before junior left fielder Nick Serafino (McDonald, Pa./Canon-McMillan) scored in the fourth on an error. The Golden Eagles cut the deficit to 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back solo homers by shortstop Alex Ficorilli and Lavin.

Brogan tallied the first four-hit game of his career in the seventh when he belted a solo homer, his sixth of the season. Clarion capitalized on a pair of errors in the bottom of the inning to score a run and brought the game-tying run to the plate before the game ended on a ground-out.

Junior Dylan Brosky (East Millsboro, Pa./Brownsville) improved to 6-1 this season while making his ninth start of the spring. He yielded two runs (both earned) on seven hits while matching his season high of seven strikeouts in 6.0 innings (86 pitches). Classmate Patrick Gumto (Allison Park, Pa./Shaler) worked 1.0 inning of relief and surrendered one run (unearned) on two hits.

Cal U continues the weekend series with Clarion tomorrow, Saturday, April 24, with a doubleheader at Wild Things Park, starting at 12:30 p.m.