Pitt-Johnstown battled back in the latter stages only to suffer a 6-2 setback to Indiana (Pa.) in game one. The Mountain Cats took a calculated blow in the nightcap that proved insurmountable in a 10-1 defeat to close out the opening doubleheader of a four-game conference series on Friday afternoon at Owen J. Dougherty Field.
The Mountain Cats slipped to 15-27 with a 5-17 PSAC West mark. The Hawks are 28-10 overall and 16-6 in the conference.
IUP took a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first and never relinquished that lead. The Mountain Cats faced a 3-0 deficit before beginning to climb back in their half of the sixth.
Erik Rhodes reached on an error with one out. Two batters later with two outs, Josh Ulery crushed a two-run home run to left that trimmed the deficit to 3-2. Ulery finished with two of three Mountain Cat hits.
The Hawks responded with three runs on the back of a pair of run-scoring doubles that extended their lead to 6-2.
Starter Rodney Shultz suffered the loss for the Mountain Cats. He gave up five runs, three earned, on five hits with six strikeouts and four walks over 5.1 innings of work. Derrick Shields threw a complete-game to pick up the win for the Hawks after allowing just two unearned runs on three hits with six strikeouts and a walk.
The Mountain Cats doubled their hit total in game two, but struggled to string enough hits together to do much damage.
IUP enjoyed a six-run second inning that provided it with the lead for good. Pitt-Johnstown scraped together their only run in response in the top of the third.
Alex Glumac singled and stole second with one out. Lucas Muffie lined an RBI single to score Glumac and make it 6-1. Ulery doubled to put runners on second and third with one out, but a flyout and strikeout ended the frame.
Zach Myers conceded four earned runs on seven hits in two innings and was tabbed with the loss on the mound. Luke Lea gave up three runs on four hits in three innings of relief.
Peyton Johnson racked up three hits for the Hawks. Mark Edeburn tossed a complete-game and earned the win.
Pitt-Johnstown concludes the four-game series opposite IUP with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. from Point Stadium.