The Mountain Cats belted four homeruns, including one in each game by Justin Demek (Cabot, Pa.), in a 7-5 and 8-6 sweep over Wheeling Jesuit (WV) University to open a four-game WVIAC Northern Division series, Friday afternoon at the Point Stadium. Pitt-Johnstown has won six of its last seven and improved to 14-10 overall and 6-4 in the WVIAC.
In game one, Dominic San Felippo led off the second inning with a solo homer to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead, but the Mountain Cats scored two in the bottom of the inning and four in the third to go up 6-1. Demek's two-run homer over the left field screen put the Mountain Cats up 2-1 after two. In the third, Drew Shaulis (Somerset, Pa.) singled and scored on Drew Westover's (Flinton, Pa.) fielder's choice ground ball to tie the score, before Matt Whiteman (North Huntingdon, Pa.) blasted a long three-run homer to right field to increase the lead to 6-1.
The Mountain Cats added one more in the fifth. Nick Barbera (Harrisburg, Pa.) tripled and scored on Staub's single up to middle to make it 7-2.
Wheeling Jesuit answered with four in the top of the sixth, but Jon Moore (Leechburg, Pa.) pitched a perfect seventh inning to secure the victory and earn his first of two saves on the day.
Staub and Demek each had two hits, and Whiteman drove in three to lead Pitt-Johnstown.
Kaleb Fleck (Claysburg, Pa.) got the win and improved to 1-2 after giving up five runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings of work. Fleck also struckout three and walked four.
In the nightcap, Pitt-Johnstown built an 8-2 lead after five innings, behind homeruns from Demek and Andy Rubal (Johnstown, Pa.) and held on for the 8-6 victory.
The Cardinals scored single runs in the second and fourth innings to go up 2-0, but Pitt-Johnstown rallied for five in the fourth and three in the fifth. Westover scored on a balk and Demek hammered his second two-run homerun of the afternoon to give the Mountain Cats a 3-2 lead. Barbera added an RBI double, and Zach Martin (Irwin, Pa.) singled home Barbera to close out the five-run fourth inning.
In the fifth, Rubal connected on a three-run homer to left center field to push the lead to 8-2.
The Cardinals scored four in the sixth, but Moore came on in the seventh and got three fly ball outs to earn his second save of the day.
Westover, Demek and Dan Mangini (Lower Burrell, Pa.) each had a pair of hits, while Rubal doved in three.
Shaulis surrendered six runs on nine hits in six innings to improve to 4-0. Shaulis also fanned six and walked two.
Pitt-Johnstown wraps-up its four-game WVIAC series against Wheeling Jesuit (WV) University with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Point Stadium. The Mountain Cats will also host doubleheaders against Salem International (WV) Univesity on Tuesday and Alderson-Broaddus (WV) College on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the Point Stadium.
