Mountain Cats Roll To Sweep Over Bluefield State on Senior Day

04/23/2006

After Saturday's doubleheader against Bluefield State (WV) College was canceled due to rain, the Mountain Cat baseball team celebrated Senior Day on Sunday with a 9-2 and 16-0 sweep over the Big Blues at George R. Walter Field. Matt Hanley's (Delmont, Pa.) second inning grand slam highlighted game one, while Casey Long (Johnstown, Pa.) hammered his 17th homerun of the season and one of four round trippers hit by Pitt Johnstown in the nightcap. The Mountain Cats, winners of six straight games, improved to 30-14.
In Sunday's opener, Pitt Johnstown scored seven runs in the second inning, before going on to the 9-2 win. Hanley finished 2-for-4 with a grand slam, and sophomore shortstop Chris Turka (Natrona Heights, Pa.) added a solo homerun in the fourth inning. Freshman outfielder Josh Farabaugh (Altoona, Pa.) collected a two run double. Sophomore right hander David Huey (Glen Campbell, Pa.) improved to 7-0 after giving up just two hits and striking out three in five innings-pitched.
In game two, Pitt Johnstown scored 10 runs in the second inning, led by three-run homeruns by Turka and senior catcher Josh Mearkle (Everett, Pa.). Long hit his 39th career homer in the third inning, and freshman first baseman Tyler Good (Philipsburg, Pa.) homered to centerfield in the fourth inning. With his three runs-batted-in on the day, Long moved to within one RBI of Adam Fairman's school-record of 58 RBI's in a season set in 2004. Mearkle went 3-for-5 with three hits, three RBI's and three runs scored, while Good had three hits, two RBI's and three runs scored, and Farabaugh had three hits in three at-bats with two RBI's and two runs. Junior second baseman Cody Gallaher (Sidman, Pa.) and Turka each added two hits, with Turka driving in three runs to help Pitt Johnstown bang out 20 hits. Freshman right hander Chuck Boring (Dilltown, Pa.) struckout seven in four hitless innings to raise his record 4-2. Freshman Aarol Elliott (Genesee, Pa.) and sophomore Zach Toth (Sarver, Pa.) combined with Boring to complete the shutout and hold Bluefield State to just three hits.
With the sweep, Bluefield State fell to 6-36 on the season.
Between games of Sunday's doubleheader, Pitt Johnstown recognized Head Coach Tood Williams for reaching the 200-career-victory mark earlier this season and this year's seniors, Brian Chruscial (Irwin, Pa.), Long and Mearkle.

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