WASHINGTON, Pa. (March 1) – Senior right fielder Patrick Brogan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) belted a pair of homers on Tuesday afternoon, as the Vulcans completed a three-game series sweep against Wheeling with an 8-4 victory at Wild Things Park in non-conference play.

With the win, the California University of Pennsylvania baseball team improves to 5-1 this season with all six games at home. Meanwhile, the Cardinals fall to 1-8 overall after being out-scored by a 29-6 margin in the series.

Brogan finished 2-for-3 with two homers, three RBI and three runs scored on Tuesday. It marked the second multi-homer game of his career, as he previously belted three longballs against Catawba during the 2020 campaign.

The Vulcans took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third when redshirt freshman second baseman Santino Marra (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) scored on a wild pitch. Senior starting pitcher Jacob McCaskey (Tarentum, Pa./Deer Lakes) retired the initial nine batters of the game before Wheeling started the fourth with a single and a fielding error. The Cardinals tied the score on a wild pitch before taking a 3-1 lead on back-to-back RBI base hits. McCaskey later forced Wheeling to strand runners on second and third following a strikeout and unassisted ground-out.

In the fifth, Brogan opened the inning with a walk before scoring from second on a fielding error, 3-2. Cal U then scored five runs on five hits to start the sixth inning to claim the lead by a 7-3 margin. The Vulcans loaded the bases with three-straight singles before senior third baseman Louden Conte (California, Pa./California) delivered a three-run triple to left field. Brogan then belted a two-run homer on the first pitch of the at-bat before the Cardinals made a pitching change.

Wheeling scored on a two-out throwing error in the eighth before Cal U answered with a solo homer by Brogan in the bottom of the inning, 8-4.

Junior Devin Foster (Davidsville, Pa./Conemaugh Township) earned the victory after tossing 3.0 innings of relief, allowing one run (unearned) on one hit and zero walks while tallying three strikeouts. McCaskey took a no-decision after yielding three runs (two earned) on three hits in 5.0 innings (76 pitches). He registered a season-high eight strikeouts and issued no walks on Tuesday. Redshirt freshman Aidan Ruiz (Perry Hall, Md./The John Carroll School) retired the side in order in the top of the ninth.

Wheeling starter Johendry Colmenares (0-1) suffered the loss after surrendering seven runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks in 5.0-plus innings (78 pitches).

The Vulcans return to action this weekend with a three-game series against Walsh (Ohio), starting on Friday, March 4, at Wild Things Park with first pitch at 1 p.m.