Baseball 6/12/2013 11:35:00 AM

Mountain Cats Sweep Shepherd, 5-2 & 3-1

03/28/2010

Matt Staub (Latrobe, Pa.) surrendered just two runs in a complete-game effort, and Matt Whiteman (North Huntingdon, Pa.) drove in two to lead the Mountain Cats to a 5-2 victory in Sunday's WVIAC Northern Division opener at Shepherd (WV) University. In game two, Justin Demek (Cabot, Pa.) belted a solo homer, and Kody Reighard (Salix, Pa.) fanned six in five innings to help Pitt-Johnstown complete the sweep with a 3-1 victory in a game stopped after five-and-a half innings due to rain. The Mountain Cats won three of four in the series to improve to 11-9 overall and 4-4 in the WVIAC Northern Division.
Pitt-Johnstown jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on Whiteman's single up the middle that scored Dan Mangini (Lower Burrell, Pa.) and Zach Martin (Irwin , Pa.).
Shepherd tied it in the bottom of the first, but the Mountain Cats added single runs in the third and fourth innings. Drew Westover's (Flinton, Pa.) sacrifice fly in the third plated Mangini to make it 3-2. Justin Demek (Cabot, Pa.) led off the fourth inning with a single and eventually scored on Drew Shaulis' (Somerset, Pa.) ground out to increase the lead to 4-2.
The Mountain Cats added an insurance run in the seventh to set the final at 5-2. Nick Barbera (Harrisburg, Pa.) started the inning with a single and advanced to second on Mangini's sacrifice bunt, before Martin drove him in with a base hit to right field.
Barbera, Martin and Demek all had two hits, while Whiteman collected two RBI for Pitt-Johnstown. Nathan Minich and Anthony Jackson led the Rams with two hits and an RBI each.
Staub allowed two runs on nine hits to even his record at 1-1. Staub also struck out five and walked one. Paul Chenoweth took the loss for Shepherd and fell to 2-3 after giving up four runs on six hits in four innings of work.
In the nightcap, Pitt-Johnstown won a 3-1 rain-shortened game to complete the sweep.
The Mountain Cats scored runs in the first two innings to go up 2-0. Barbera opened the game with a single and scored two batters later on Martin's gournd out. Demek led off the second with a solo homerun to left to make it 2-0.
The Rams cut the deficit in half with a run in the third, but Pitt-Johnstown got it back in its next at-bat. Barbera doubled to right center field and was driven home on Staub's single up the middle to put the Mountain Cats up 3-1.
Barbera went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs, while Staub, Martin and Demek in a run each.
Reighard held the Rams to just one run on two hits in five innings. Reighard struck out six and walked three to raise his record to 2-1.
With the sweep, Shepherd dropped to 10-12 overall and 3-5 in the WVIAC North.
Pitt-Johnstown travels to Shippensburg University for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday. The Mountain Cats will then return home to host a four-game WVIAC series against Wheeling Jesuit (WV) University on Friday and Saturday at the Point Stadium.

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