WASHINGTON, Pa. (April 10) – Senior right fielder
Connor Evans delivered a walk-off RBI single in extra innings on Friday afternoon, as the California (PA) baseball team swept a doubleheader against Clarion at EQT Park with a 7-5 victory in Game 1 and a 4-3 win in nine innings in Game 2.
NOTES
• The Vulcans (19-12, 9-5) earned its first walk-off victory of the season in Game 2.
• Cal snapped a five-game losing streak with the doubleheader sweep.
• Evans reached base six times (four hits, two hit by pitches) and scored three runs.
• A trio of freshmen pitchers combined for 7.0 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts.
GAME 1
• Four different players collected multi-hit games, as Cal finished with 12 hits.
• Redshirt freshman left fielder
Chad Helwich posted two hits with a solo homer and two runs scored, while Evans collected two hits and two runs scored.
• Junior
Ikon Jones tallied two hits and one run scored, while classmate
Caleb Collins finished with two hits and one RBI.
• The Vulcans took a 4-0 lead in the first behind a three-run triple by junior catcher
Kyle Rizzo, who then scored on a ground-out.
• Cal added to the lead in the third on a two-out RBI single by Collins, 5-0.
• The Vulcans added to the lead in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff homer by Helwich before sophomore first baseman
Cole Fleck later delivered a bases-loaded RBI infield single.
• Clarion started the sixth inning with seven-straight batters reaching safely before Cal made a pitching change and later forced the Golden Eagles to leave the bases loaded.
• In the seventh, the Vulcans forced the Golden Eagles to strand the tying run on base as the game ended with back-to-back strikeouts.
• Junior
Beau Bigam (5-2) earned the win after allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits with six strikeouts in 5.0-plus innings (101 pitches).
• Freshman
Nate Persinger registered his second save of the year after totaling five strikeouts in 2.0 scoreless innings.
GAME 2
• Cal tied the score by scoring two runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh before claiming the walk-off victory in extra innings.
• Freshmen
Tanner Phillips and
Evan Stranko worked a combined 5.0 scoreless innings of relief.
• Stranko (2-1) earned the victory after working both extra innings after Phillips posted 3.0 innings of relief.
• Cal left the bases loaded in the first before Clarion later took a 3-0 lead in the fourth on just one hit.
• The Vulcans scored in the bottom of the inning on a wild pitch before a lineout double play ended the inning.
• Clarion stranded runners on first and second in both the fifth and sixth innings before Cal left runners on second and third in the sixth.
• The Vulcans tied the score in the seventh when Fleck delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs.
• In the ninth, Clarion drew a walk and the runner advanced to third on a wild pitch and ground-out.
• The Golden Eagles were then issued an intentional walk and the runner stole second before Collins kept the game tied with a sliding stop and throw from second base.
• In the bottom of the inning, the Vulcans led off with a hit by pitch and the runner stole second before Evans delivered the walk-off victory.
• Fleck finished with two hits and two RBI, while Evans posted two hits, one RBI and one run scored.
NEXT
• Cal returns to the diamond tomorrow, Saturday, April 11, when it plays a doubleheader against Clarion in DuBois, Pennsylvania, at Stern Family Field, starting at 1 p.m.
