Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 
Luke Williams hit a two-run inside-the park homerun to lead Pitt-Johnstown to an 11-4 win over Clarion to open Sunday's PSAC doubleheader at Point Stadium. The Golden Eagles answered with a 2-1 victory in the nightcap to earn the split. Pitt-Johnstown is now 3-21 overall and 3-7 in the PSAC Western Division.
In game one, Pitt-Johnstown for four hits from
Dillon Boyer and built a 6-0 third inning lead on its way to the 11-4 win.
The Mountain Cats struck for a run in the top of the first when Boyer came around from second on Williams' single to left center.
Pitt-Johnstown added four more in the second.
Jake Stern led off with a double and scored on a wild pitch, and
Ernesto Rizzitano, Boyer, and
Nate Negri all followed with RBI base hits.
Nico Pecora's double off of the left field screen in the Mountain Cat third chased Stern home from first to make it 6-0.
Pecora then added a sacrifice fly in the fifth, before Williams inside-the-park two run homer off the center field wall increased it to 9-0 in the Mountain Cats' next at-bat.
Clarion got back in it with four runs in the sixth, highlighted by Derek Danver's three-run homer, but Pitt-Johnstown added two more insurance runs in the seventh.
Boyer went 4-for4-4 with a double, two RBI and three runs to lead Pitt-Johnstown's 13-hit attack. Williams had two hits, including the inside-the-park homerun, and three RBI, while Negri and Pecora each drove in a pair for the Mountain Cats.
Nate Pope picked up the win and improved to 1-5 after allowing four runs on seven hits over the first six innings. Pope also struck out eight and didn't allow a walk.
In game two, Clarion broke a 1-1 tie with an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth inning to secure the 2-1 win.
Tyler Falk's run-producing single in the Clarion half of the first inning put the Golden Eagles in front.
It stayed that way until the Mountain Cat sixth. Rizzitano was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, moved to second on Boyer's sacrifice bunt, and eventually scored to knot it at one on a wild pitch.
However, the Golden Eagles scratched out an unearned run on Mike Lockhart's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame to regain the lead. Tyler Delval then closed out the complete-game victory for Clarion by striking out the side in the seventh.
Delval held the Mountain Cats to one run on just three hits, singles by
Mike Palkovitz, Negri, and Stern, to improve to 1-3.
Brantley Rice got the start for Pitt-Johnstown and suffered the loss after surrendering two runs (1 earned) in five innings of work. Rice slipped to 1-1.
With the split, the Golden Eagles are now 3-12 overall and 1-7 in the PSAC West.
The Mountain Cats wrap-up the four-game PSAC series against Clarion with a doubleheader on Monday at 1 p.m. at Point Stadium, before hosting a conference doubleheader against Mercyhurst on Friday at Point Stadium.
