Dylan Broderick hit a two-run homerun for Pitt-Johnstown, but it wasn't enough as Gannon swept a PSAC Western Division doubleheader from the Mountain Cats, 8-4 and 7-3, Saturday afternoon in Erie. Pitt-Johnstown dropped 3-of-the 4 games in the series, and slipped to 16-16 overall and 12-12 in the PSAC West.
In game one, Gannon scored four first inning runs off of Pitt-Johnstown starter
Wil Fetrow and never trailed in the 8-4 win.
Three straight singles and a double down the left field line from Ian to start the bottom of the first gave Gannon a quick 2-0 lead. Ryan Kalbfus followed with an RBI fielder's choice that plated Brandon Weatherholt, and Tyler Mattocks' base hit scored Kalbfus to make it 4-0 after one inning.
Pitt-Johnstown cut the deficit in half two runs in the top of the fourth.
Dylan Broderick was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a
Lennox Pugh single, and scored on a two-base throwing error, before
Asher Corl's two-out single to left chased home Pugh from third.
The Golden Knights got both of those runs back in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double from Alex Baldi, and run scoring single from Weatherholt.
Trey Zeroski's two-run double off of Pitt-Johnstown reliever
Alec Petroff in the fifth increased the Gannon lead to 8-2, before Broderick connected for a two-run homer to right-center in the Pitt-Johnstown seventh to set the final at 8-4.
Corl went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI, and Broderick hit a two-run homer to pace the Mountain Cats.
Jake Ansell singled and doubled, and
Colin Pasone added two hits.
Fetrow fell to 1-4 after allowing six runs on 11 hits over the first four innings. Fetrow struck out two and walked none. Petroff allowed two runs in one inning, and
Ben Briggs pitched a perfect sixth inning for Pitt-Johnstown.
Tre Thomas tossed a complete-game for Gannon to improve to 4-2. Thomas gave up four runs (3 earned) on nine hits, while striking out seven and walking one.
Hess and Zeroski each drove in two, while Baldi and Weatherholt had two hits and an RBI apiece for the Golden Knights.
In game two, The Golden Knights broke a three-all tie with two runs in the third and two in the fourth on its way to the 7-3 win.
Gannon got an RBI double from Hess and two more runs off of Mountain Cat errors to jump out to a 3-0 first inning lead on Pitt-Johnstown starter
Brady Walker.
Pugh doubled home Broderick, and
Tyler Smith's infield single scored
Asher Corl to cut it to 3-2 and chase Gannon starter Kevin Schott. Pasone's sacrifice fly plated Pugh to knot it at three.
The Golden Knights regained the lead with a pair of runs in their have of the third, and two more in the fourth off of Pitt-Johnstown reliever
Raymond Watt to extend it to 7-3.
Pugh doubled and drove in a run for the Mountain Cats, while Smith and Corl each had a hit and an RBI.
Walker took the loss and dropped to 2-2. Walker surrendered five runs (4 earned) on six hits in three innings. He struck out six and walked two.
With the sweep, the Golden Knights improved to 17-13 overall and 15-9 in the PSAC West.
Pitt-Johnstown travels to Bloomsburg for a non-conference game on Tuesday, before closing out the 2021 regular season with a four-game, home-and-home PSAC series against Seton Hill. On Friday, the Mountain Cats will host the nationally-ranked Griffins for a pair of games beginning at 1 p.m. at Sargent's Stadium at the Point, before finishing the series on Saturday in Greensburg.
