SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. (May 11) – The Vulcans rallied to score seven runs with two outs in the top of the eighth inning to take the lead before being eliminated from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament with a 9-8 loss to IUP on Thursday evening at Jack Critchfield Park.

With the loss, the California (PA) baseball team finishes the year with a 29-21 record after winning 10 of its last 11 games to close the regular season. The Vulcans played a pair of one-run contests in elimination games in the PSAC Tournament, as they opened the post-season with a 2-1 extra-inning victory over regionally-ranked East Stroudsburg yesterday. Meanwhile, IUP improves to 25-28 this season under second-year head coach Steve Kline and will play another elimination game tomorrow, Friday, May 12, at 3 p.m.

The Crimson Hawks scored four runs in the seventh to take a 7-1 lead before the Vulcans scored seven runs with two outs in the eighth. However, IUP responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half to reclaim the lead before retiring Cal in order in the ninth inning.

Sophomore second baseman Santino Marra (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) reached base in all five plate appearances at the leadoff spot, finishing 3-for-3 with a solo homer, two RBI, two runs scored, one walk and one hit by pitch. He closes the year hitting at a .404 clip (76-for-188), becoming the first player since David Marcus in 2017 to finish with a .400 average. Additionally, Marra collected 76 hits in his second year as a starter which is tied for third-most in single-season school history.

Sophomore first baseman Payton Conte (California, Pa./California) went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one run scored, while senior catcher Justin Stewart (Butler, Pa./Butler) drew two walks and scored once.

The Crimson Hawks threatened in the bottom of the first when back-to-back, two-out walks loaded the bases before a pop-up ended the inning. Cal stranded a pair of runners in scoring position in the second inning after Marra was left at third base in the first. The Vulcans took a 1-0 lead in the third when Marra led off the inning with a homer to right center, his fourth of the year.

In the fifth, IUP tied the score on a bases-loaded fielder's choice before sophomore reliver Aidan Ruiz (Perry Hall, Md./The John Carroll School) induced an inning-ending double play. The Crimson Hawks claimed a 3-1 lead in the sixth on a two-run homer by first baseman Brady Yard after the inning started with a walk. In the seventh, IUP scored a run on a fielding error before Yard later delivered a three-run double to right field to stretch the lead to 7-1.

The Vulcans mounted their biggest offensive surge of the post-season in the eighth inning by scoring seven runs, as eight-consecutive batters reached safely with two outs. Marra reached on a hit by pitch to start the inning before the next two hitters were retired in order. Following a walk, sophomore left fielder Ryan Callahan (Bexley, Ohio/Bexley) and redshirt freshman designated hitter Conor Carney (Harmony, Pa./Seneca Valley) tallied back-to-back RBI singles. Conte later posted a three-run double to left center and scored the game-tying run from second on an RBI single by Marra. Junior shortstop Brett Bobin (Wampum, Pa./Mohawk) followed with the go-ahead RBI single to right field before a fly-out ended the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, IUP started the inning with a single and double before a sacrifice fly tied the score and allowed the trail runner – second baseman Markus Cestra – to advance to third. The advance by Cestra – a two-time, All-PSAC West selection – proved critically important, as he scored the eventual game-winning run during the next at-bat on a wild pitch. The remainder of the inning featured a line-out to second base, walk and a strikeout to close the eighth.

The Vulcans utilized six pitchers in the elimination game with none of the five relievers retiring more than four batters. Redshirt sophomore Jackson Miller (Uniontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin) suffered the loss after yielding two runs (both earned) in 1.1 innings of relief. Freshman Nathan Holmes (North Versailles, Pa./East Allegheny) took a no-decision in the start, allowing one run (earned) on three hits and five walks in 4.0-plus innings (83 pitches).

IUP reliever Cooper Baxter was credited with the victory after surrendering one run (earned) on two hits and one walk in 1.1 innings. Starting pitcher Derrick Shields yielded one run (earned) on three hits and two walks over 7.0 innings (96 pitches).

The Vulcans and Crimson Hawks met in the PSAC Tournament for the first time in at least over two decades.