WASHINGTON, Pa. (Feb. 20) – The California (PA) baseball team scored a combined 19 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Ohio Dominican on Friday afternoon at EQT Park, winning 7-2 in Game 1 before posting a 12-6 victory in Game 2.
NOTES
• The Vulcans (3-0) completed a series sweep over the Panthers after scoring 34 runs in three victories.
• Cal opened the season with a three-game series against Ohio Dominican for the second time in five years.
• The Vulcans recorded a .492 on-base percentage in the three wins against the Panthers.
GAME 1
• Junior
Beau Bigam earned the win after allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits over 5.0 innings (77 pitches) with five strikeouts.
• Sophomore
Ben Barr worked 2.0 scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts.
• Senior right fielder
Connor Evans collected three hits, including a two-run homer, and scored twice.
• The Vulcans took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second behind a two-run double by junior catcher
Kyle Rizzo and a two-out RBI single by junior left fielder
Ikon Jones.
• ODU cut the deficit to 3-2 with a single run in both the third and fourth innings.
• Cal responded with an RBI ground-out in the fourth before scoring three runs in the fifth inning behind an RBI triple by sophomore transfer shortstop
Brandon McClain-Banks and a two-run homer by Evans.
GAME 2
• Evans registered four hits, two RBI and three runs scored, while sophomore second baseman
Peyton Ford finished with two hits and two RBI.
• McClain-Banks scored three runs and redshirt freshman center fielder
Chad Helwich collected two hits and one run scored.
• The Vulcans took a 2-0 lead in the second on a two-run single by Ford and later held a 3-1 lead following a solo homer by senior first baseman
Conor Carney in the bottom of the third.
• Cal scored three runs in the fifth behind back-to-back RBI doubles by Evans and junior catcher
Conner McTighe to extend the lead to 6-1.
• The Vulcans stretched the lead to 12-1 with six runs on four hits in the eighth inning.
• ODU managed to cut the deficit in the top of the ninth with five runs on just one hit.
• Cal used seven pitchers in the victory with junior
Josh Bryson logging 4.0 innings in the start and senior
Nathan Holmes working 2.0 scoreless innings of relief.
NEXT
• The Vulcans return to action next weekend with four games at the Atlantic Region Crossover in West Virginia from Feb. 27-March 1.
• Cal begins play against Bloomsburg on Feb. 27 at Kendrick Family Ballpark in Morgantown, West Virginia – home of the WVU Mountaineers and West Virginia Black Bears.
