ERIE, Pa. (May 12) – The Vulcans allowed four homers and surrendered eight runs with two outs on Wednesday afternoon while suffering a 10-3 loss at Mercyhurst in an elimination game in the first round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament.
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania baseball team finishes the year with a 25-16 overall record. The Vulcans have appeared in each of the last two PSAC Tournaments and have posted at least 25 victories in a season nine times in the last 10 years (excluding 2020). Meanwhile, the Lakers improve to 27-13 this season and advance to face No. 7 Seton Hill in a best-of-three series in the semifinals of the league tournament.
The Vulcans held a 2-1 lead in the middle of the fourth before the Lakers scored nine-unanswered runs. Graduate student Michael Krauza, a transfer from St. Bonaventure, earned his PSAC-leading 10th win of the season after allowing one run (earned) on one hit in 4.2 innings of relief while recording nine strikeouts. Senior
Nick Riggle (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) suffered the loss after yielding four runs (all earned) on seven hits and two walks in 4.0 innings (73 pitches). Riggle, who started on short rest, finished his career tied for the all-time school record with 23 wins and ranked second with 261.0 innings pitched.
The Vulcans took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when junior shortstop
Jacob McCaskey (Tarentum, Pa./Deer Lakes) scored from first base on a two-out RBI double by junior right fielder
Patrick Brogan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) after the Laker right fielder lost the ball in the sun. In the bottom of the inning, the Mercyhurst leadoff batter reached on a fielding error before the inning ended with a double play.
Riggle forced Mercyhurst to stand runners on second and third in the second inning, as a strikeout ended end the frame. The Lakers later tied the score at 1-1 in the third on a leadoff homer by center fielder Luke Baranchak on the fourth 1-2 pitch of the at-bat. Mercyhurst then drew a full-count walk before junior second baseman
Anthony Venezia (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) made a diving stop and flipped the ball to McCaskey, who caught it barehanded and threw to first to complete a spectacular double play.
Cal U reclaimed the lead at 2-1 in the fourth inning on an opposite-field solo homer by junior catcher
Justin Stewart (Butler, Pa./Butler), the first of his career. Mercyhurst countered with three runs in the bottom half to take a 4-2 lead. The Lakers tied the score on a bloop single to center field before a sacrifice bunt moved the runner into scoring position. Baranchak followed with a two-out RBI single before scoring from first on a double when the ball took a high hop in right field over Brogan's head.
The Vulcans made a pitching change to junior
Dylan Brosky (East Millsboro, Pa./Brownsville), who started 11 games this spring, at the beginning of the fifth and he retired the initial two batters he faced. Mercyhurst then collected back-to-back singles before designated hitter Matthew Gibson delivered a three-run homer down the left-field line, 7-2.
The Lakers stretched the lead to 10-2 in the bottom of the seventh on homers by second baseman Troy Banks and left fielder Logan Martella-Tasick, both with two outs. Stewart belted his second homer of the game with two outs in ninth inning on Wednesday.
Stewart finished 2-for-4 with a pair of solo homers after entering the game with zero homers in 183 career at-bats. He was the only Cal U player to record a multi-homer game this season. McCaskey collected two hits and scored one run to finish the year with a team-leading .357 average.
Junior
Patrick Gumto (Allison Park, Pa./Shaler) made his league-leading 21st appearance of the season, which is the most in school history since 2006. He allowed one run (earned) on one hit in 1.1 innings of relief with two strikeouts at Mercyhurst.
