SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. (May 6) – The Vulcans were unable to over a five-run second inning by Millersville, which later added a pair of homers, in 8-3 loss on Wednesday afternoon in the opening day of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament.
With the loss, the California (PA) baseball team finishes the season with a 26-23 overall record under first-year head coach
Joey Noro. The Vulcans have made the PSAC Tournament six times in the last seven years, advancing to the championship last year against the Marauders. Meanwhile, Millersville improves to 32-17 this season and advances to face nationally-ranked Seton Hill tomorrow, Thursday, May 7, at 1 p.m.
The Vulcans threatened with runners on the corners and no outs in the top of the first before a strikeout and double play ended the inning. Millersville also threatened with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the first before a fly-out kept the game scoreless.
In the second, the Marauders broke the game open with five runs on three singles, three walks and two hit by pitches. Cal made a pitching change with the bases loaded before second baseman Donis Rodriguez delivered a two-run single. Millersville later scored on a hit by pitch, sacrifice fly and two-run single to increase the lead to a 5-0 margin.
The Marauders added a leadoff homer by center fielder Marco Pullizzi in the third inning, 6-0. In the fifth, Cal started the inning with a hit by pitch before junior catcher
Kyle Rizzo followed with an RBI double and later scored on an infield single by junior designated hitter
Ikon Jones. Millersville tallied a run in the sixth inning on a throwing error after executing a double steal on the play, 7-2.
The Vulcans mounted a two-out rally in the top of the seventh when sophomore shortstop
Brandon McClain-Banks, who was playing for the first time since April 18, delivered an RBI double. Millersville then made a pitching change to All-PSAC East First-Team reliever Joe Morrissey, who struck out the first batter he faced on three pitches to end the inning. The Marauders loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning before freshman
Evan Stranko recorded back-to-back strikeouts and then forced designated hitter Matthew Williams, the single-season and all-time home run leader in Millersville history, to pop-up to end the inning.
The Marauders added a leadoff homer in the eighth by first baseman Jimmy Kirk, his 14th homer of the year, to increase the lead to an 8-3 margin.
Cal used four pitchers in the contest with sophomore starter
Coleman Fletcher (4-3) suffering the loss after allowing three runs (all earned) on four walks and two hit by pitches in 1.0-plus inning (50 pitches). Freshman
Logan Bauer yielded one run (unearned) on four hits with three strikeouts over 4.0 innings (69 pitches) after entering the game with just 5.1 innings pitched all season.
Jones and McClain-Banks both finished with two hits and one RBI. Freshman center fielder
Charlie Nigut, who was named the PSAC West Freshman of the Year yesterday, tallied two hits and one run scored.
Senior first baseman
Connor Evans reached on a hit by pitch in the seventh inning to extend his streak of reaching base safely to 34-consecutive games. It marks the program's longest streak since Mike Larson reached in 37-consesutive games during the 2005 campaign.
Over the last decade, the Vulcans and Marauders have now met in the PSAC Tournament in 2019, 2022, 2025 and 2026.
