ELKINS, W.Va. (March 15) – The California University of Pennsylvania baseball team totaled 20 hits while securing a 15-3 win at Davis & Elkins on Wednesday afternoon in non-conference play.

With the victory, the Vulcans improve to 11-3 this season while extending its winning steak to six-straight games. Meanwhile, the Senators fall to 3-10 overall.

Cal U featured a trio of players with at least three hits on Wednesday. Sophomore designated hitter Jayden Taitano (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley) went 4-for-4 with three doubles, three RBI, three runs scored and one walk. Senior first baseman Jacob McCaskey (Tarentum, Pa./Deer Lakes) finished 3-for-5 with a solo homer and three runs scored, while senior right fielder Patrick Brogan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Our Lady of Sacred Heart) went 3-for-5 with three runs and one RBI.

Freshman center fielder Adam Crawford (North Fayette, Pa./West Allegheny) collected two hits and two RBI and senior third baseman Louden Conte (California, Pa./California) totaled two hits, two RBI and two runs scored. Senior catcher Justin Stewart (Butler, Pa./Butler) finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, while senior shortstop Anthony Venezia (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) totaled two hits and one run scored in the victory.

The Vulcans took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Venezia started the game with a triple and scored on a ground-out before McCaskey belted a solo homer to left center to extend the lead. The Vulcans added another run in the second when Crawford posted an RBI double to left center, 3-0. Davis & Elkins tallied one run in the bottom half of the inning before trimming the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Cal U stretched its lead to 6-2 after scoring three runs on four hits and an error in the fifth. The Senators responded with one run in the bottom of the fifth to trim the lead to 6-3 before leaving runners on the corners.

The Vulcans tallied four more runs in the sixth on five hits to hold a 10-3 advantage. McCaskey led off the inning with a double to left center before scoring on an RBI single by Brogan. Taitano followed with an RBI double down the right-field line before scoring on a single by Stewart. Redshirt freshman second baseman Santino Marra (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) delivered an RBI single to right field before Cal U stretched the lead by scoring five runs on five hits in the top of the seventh.

Freshman Roman Gill (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) earned the victory to improve to 2-0 this season. He allowed three runs (all earned) on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Sophomore Justin Naylor (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillian) collected his first save of the season, as he scattered two hits and recorded six strikeouts in 2.1 innings of relief. Davis & Elkins used five different pitchers during the contest.

Cal U returns to action on Wednesday, March 16, when it hosts West Liberty in non-conference action at Wild Things Park, starting at 1 p.m.