WASHINGTON, Pa. (March 30) – The California (PA) baseball team earned a split of a twinbill versus Gannon on Sunday evening at EQT Park in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action, claiming a 9-6 win in Game 1 before dropping a 3-2 contest in Game 2.
NOTES
• The Vulcans (17-5, 5-2) have split the season series with the Golden Knights in back-to-back years.
• The games were pushed back 2.5 hours due to rain in the area yet featured no weather delays once play started.
GAME 1
• Cal broke a 4-4 tie by scoring five runs on six hits in the bottom of the sixth.
• Senior second baseman
Santino Marra tallied three hits, two RBI, one run scored and one walk.
• Sophomore center fielder
Ikon Jones posted three hits and two runs scored, while sophomore catcher
Kyle Rizzo finished with two hits and one run scored.
• Gannon took a 2-0 lead on a two-out single in the top of the first before Marra and senior third baseman
Nathan Meeks delivered back-to-back RBI doubles with two outs in the bottom of the inning.
• The Golden Knights later held a 4-3 lead after scoring one run in both the third and fourth innings.
• The Vulcans tied the score in the fifth before scoring five runs in the sixth after seven-straight batters reached base safely.
• Senior left fielder
Ryan Callahan collected a two-run single with the bases loaded before Marra followed with an RBI double.
• Gannon scored twice in the top of the seventh before stranding a pair of runners in scoring position.
• Junior
Nathan Holmes (2-0) earned the victory after allowing four runs (all earned) on six hits and three walks in 6.0 innings (100 pitches).
GAME 2
• Gannon scored all three of its runs in the top of the fourth inning in the win.
• The Vulcans used four different pitchers in the contest with redshirt junior starting pitcher
Roman Gill (1-2) suffering the loss after yielding three runs (all earned) on three hits and three walks in 4.0 innings (66 pitches).
• Sophomore
Ryan Sluk logged 2.0 innings of scoreless relief with four strikeouts.
• Cal took a 1-0 lead in the second on a solo homer by senior right fielder
James Salvatori.
• The Golden Knights seized a 3-1 lead behind a two-run double with two outs in the fourth before stranding the bases loaded in the fifth.
• Marra registered a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to trim the deficit to a 3-2 margin.
• Cal collected back-to-back singles with two outs in the seventh before stranding the tying run in scoring position.
• Callahan posted two hits and one run scored in the loss.
NEXT
• The Vulcans return to action on Tuesday, April 1, when they host Wheeling in non-conference play at EQT Park in Washington, Pennsylvania, starting at 1 p.m.