ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon University baseball team split a doubleheader with Indiana (Pa.) Saturday afternoon. The Golden Knights prevailed 7-4 in the first game and then IUP took a 5-3 victory in the nightcap on Senior Day. The Crimson Hawks clinched the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division title with the game two win.
GU won a tense first game, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to break a 4-4 tie.
Kyle Harpster (Erie, Pa./McDowell) reached on an error and then stole second base.
Tim Lipp (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) drove him in with a single to right centerfield. Lipp stole second and moved to third base on a
Brandon Crum (Saegertown, Pa./Saegertown) bunt base hit. IUP pitcher Tyler Squibbs was called for a balk, allowing Lipp to cross home plate.
Jordan Bergado (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) later singled to rightfield, with Crum scoring on a throwing error to put the Knights ahead 7-4.
Senior
Evan Euler (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) escaped a sixth-inning jam and then forced Kyle Stryker to hit into a 6-4-3 double play in the seventh. Vern Powell grounded out to short to end the game. Euler pitched seven innings, giving up four runs on seven hits. He struck out five and walked three in the win.
Bergado went 2-4 with a run scored. Lipp had a hit, a run, a walk, an RBI, and was hit twice.
Willie Nelson of Indiana held down the GU offense for much of the second game, holding it scoreless for six innings. IUP scored four runs in the top of the second frame and then added another in the third inning.
In the seventh, however, Gannon woke up.
Shaine Patsilevas (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) singled up the middle to lead off and then
Greg Radwan (Farnham, N.Y./St. Francis) singled to centerfield. Harpster followed with another base hit, loading the bases. With one out, Lipp singled to plate Patsilevas, chasing Nelson from the game. Hawk Stephen Cooke relieved and forced a fielder’s choice from Crum for the second out.
Kolten Hoffman (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) then singled to left center, cutting the deficit to 5-3. With two on,
Jeff Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) flied out to leftfield, ending the contest.
Hoffman went 4-4 with an RBI. Radwan had two hits and a run scored.
Drew Rojek (Lake View, N.Y./Frontier), a senior, threw two innings of scoreless relief. He allowed one hit and struck out one batter.
The Knights finished the regular season 21-22 overall, their most wins since 2004. Gannon also went 12-12 in the conference, its most victories in the league in eight years.
A complete box score for Saturday’s first game is available
here. The second game is
here.