Baseball Opens Season With Split at Concord

02/15/2008

There might be snow on the ground in Johnstown, but Head Coach Todd Williams (11th season) and the Mountain Cat baseball team, picked to finish fourth in the WVIAC in the preseason coaches poll, kicked-off the 2008 season at Concord (WV) University on Friday. After dropping game one, 15-6, Pitt Johnstown rebounded to earn a split with a 6-5 victory in the nightcap.
In Friday's opener, Concord jumped jumped out to a 12-1 lead after three innings and went on to a 15-6 win. Sophomore third baseman Josh Campanella (Allison Park, Pa.) collected two of Pitt Johnstown's five hits, while Matt Hanley (Delmont, Pa.), Dan Mangini (Lower Burrell, Pa.), Adam Plummer (Bellwood, Pa.) and Drew Shaulis (Somerset, Pa.) each drove in a run. Junior right hander Chuck Boring (Dilltown, Pa.) took the loss after giving up eight runs (6 earned runs) on five hits in 1.2 innings-pitched. Boring also walked four and struckout one. Tim Merolillo went 3-for-6 with a pair of homeruns and six RBI to lead Concord. Donovan Huffer and Grayson Schram also had three hits apiece for the Mountain Lions. Allen Schrudell earned the win after giving up two unearned runs in five innings of work.
In game two, junior right hander Eric Faint (Johnstown, Pa.) gave up one run in 3.1 innings in relief of Ben Watkins (Johnstown, Pa.) to pick up the win in a 6-5 Pitt Johnstown victory. Faint gave up three hits and struckout two after Watkins surrended two runs on two hits in 2.2 innings of work. Junior left hander Bill Wasko (Bethel Park, Pa.) gave up two runs and struck out a pair to earn the save. Plummer went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI, and Campanella added two hits, including a double, and an RBI. Matt Petrowsky (Johnstown, Pa.) also had two hits and an RBI and scored two runs.
With the split, Concord and Pitt Johnstown are both 1-1.
The Mountain Cats wrap-up a four-game series at Concord on Saturday with a doubleheader at 12:00 p.m. Pitt Johnstown will then travel to Ohio VAlley (WV) University for a four-game series on February 29 and March 1.

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