Tyler Smith and
Lennox Pugh each homered for Pitt-Johnstown, but California (PA) was able to come away with 2-0 and 11-6 victories to open a four-game PSAC Western Division home-and-home series, Friday afternoon in Washington, Pa. The Mountain Cats are now 12-10 overall and 8-6 in conference-play.
In game one, Pitt-Johnstown's
Dylan Heid and Cal U's Nick Riggle locked up in a pitcher duel until the Vulcans were able to plate two runs in the third to account for the only scoring in the game.
Louden Conte's two-out base hit up the middle in the bottom of the third allowed Justin Stewart and Anthony Venezia to score to give Cal U a 2-0 advantage.
That's all Riggle would need. Riggle, who improved to 6-1, held Pitt-Johnstown scoreless on five hits in the complete-game effort.
Heid took the tough loss and slipped to 5-1 after allowing two runs on just two hits, a second inning single to Kyle Comini and Conte's two-run single in the third. Heid struck out 12 and walked two.
Alex Glumac,
Jake Ansell,
Asher Corl,
Chase Vargo, and Pugh all had a hit for the Mountain Cats.
In game two, the Vulcans opened-up a 5-0 lead after three innings and completed the sweep with the 11-6 win.
The Vulcans jumped out to a 3-0 first inning lead off of Pitt-Johnstown starter
Joel Colledge on an RBI single from Jacob McCaskey and Conte's two-run single through the left side.
McCaskey's run scoring double and Conte's RB ground out that scored Nick Serafino increased Cal U's lead to 5-0 after three innings.
Pitt-Johnstown answered with two runs in the top of the fourth. Pugh led off the inning with a homer to left field, and
Matt Reese doubled home
Tyler Treese from second to cut it to 5-2.
Venezia's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth gave the Vulcans's an unearned run to make it 6-2, but Smith's one-out homerun to left-center in the Mountain Cat fifth quickly got that run back.
Cal U followed with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth off of Pitt-Johnstown reliever
Giovanni Scott on Jax Miller's pinch-hit RBI triple and Josh Rankin's run-scoring base hit to right field.
In the top of the sixth, Vargo doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Reese's single to narrow the Mountain Cats' deficit 8-4.
However, the Vulcans pushed it out to 11-4 on Patrick Brogan's three-run double in the bottom of the sixth.
Pitt-Johnstown loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the seventh and came away with two runs to set the final at 11-6. Ansell scored on a wild pitch, and Vargo's ground out plated smith from third, but Patrick Gumto came in and was able to get the final out to earn his fourth save of the year.
Pugh had two this, including a homerun, and Smith homered for the Mountain Cats. Reese singled, doubled and had two RBI, and Vargo singled, doubled and drove in a run to lead Pitt-Johnstown.
Colledge pitched the first four innings and allowed six runs (4 earned) on four hits to fall to 2-3 on the season. Colledge struck out six and walked three.
McCaskey went 3-for-3 with two RBI, and Conte and Brogan each drove in three for Cal U.
With the sweep, the Vulcans are now 19-8 overall and 9-5 in the PSAC West.
The Mountain Cats return home to wrap-up the series against California (PA) with a doubleheader at Sargent's Stadium at the Point on Saturday starting at 1 p.m., before beginning a four-game PSAC Western Division series against Slippery Rock on Friday at 1 p.m. at Sargent's Stadium at the Point.
