The Pitt-Johnstown baseball team recognized 11 seniors then closed out the 2019 season with a PSAC Western Division split with Clarion, Saturday afternoon at Point Stadium. After dropping game one, 8-3,
Nico Pecora homered and drove in two, and
Ben Foose tossed a complete-game shutout to lead the Mountain Cats to a 7-0 victory in the nightcap. Pitt-Johnstown finished at 23-21 overall and 11-15 in conference-play.
Between games of the doubleheader, Pitt-Johnstown recognized this year's seniors…
Dylan Conrad,
Ben Foose,
Eric Ford,
Cameron Gerhard,
Dylan Kerstetter,
Scott Kuczala,
Scott Lucas,
Nico Pecora,
Jack Shirk,
Scott Thompson, and
Ty Treaster.
In the opener, Clarion jumped out to a 2-0 first inning lead on Bryce Jackson's bases loaded double.
Scott Thompson's solo homer to stat the bottom half of the second narrowed Pitt-Johnstown's deficit in half, before Thomas Lavis's two-run home run in the top of the fourth increased the Golden Eagle's lead to 4-1.
The Mountain Cats cut it to 4-3 in their half of the fourth on
Lennox Pugh's RBI single and a Pecora sacrifice fly.
Clarion added unearned runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings, and Jackson connected for a two-run homer down the right field line in the Golden Eagles' seventh that set the final at 8-3.
Thompson homered,
Zach Zinn went 3-for-3, and Pugh and Pecora each drove in a run for the Mountain Cats.
Joel Colledge took the loss for Pitt-Johnstown and dropped to 0-6 after giving up four runs on five hits in four innings.
Jackson homered, doubled and had four RBI, while Lavin homered and drove in a pair to lead Clarion.
Brian Layton evened his record at 1-1 after surrendering three runs on four hits over the first four innings. The Golden Eagles' Dereck Pritchard pitched the final three innings to get his third save. Pritchard held Pitt-Johnstown scoreless on just two hits.
In game two, the Mountain Cats took advantage of a Clarion error and got an RBI double from Thompson and a run-scoring single from Pecora to take as early, 2-0, first inning lead.
Pitt-Johnstown scored two more in the second.
Dylan Kerstetter's fielder's choice plated
Dylan Broderick and
Dylan Conrad stole home.
Pecora homered to center in the third and
Cameron Gerhard's RBI double in the fifth extended it to 6-0, and the Mountain Cats earned the split with the 7-0 win.
Foose limited the Golden Eagles to just four singles in the complete-game effort. Foose also fanned five and walked one.
Pecora went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI, while Thompson drove in a pair, and Gerhard doubled home a run for Pitt-Johnstown.
Jeremy Frazier suffered the loss after allowing four runs on three hits in just one inning.
Clarion ended its season at 19-29 overall and 9-19 in the PSAC West.
