ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon baseball team completed a four-game sweep of Clarion Tuesday afternoon with a pair of victories by scores of 6-1 in eight innings and 15-2. Both games were originally scheduled as Clarion home games, but unplayable field conditions forced the doubleheader to be moved to Gannon University Field. However, the Golden Knights still batted first as the visiting team.
The four-game sweep was Gannon's first since the Golden Knights swept the Golden Eagles March 23 and 25 last season. The program is off to a 4-0 start in conference play for the first time in school history.
Tuesday's first game did not come easy.
David Spaeder (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) and Tyler Delval locked up in a pitchers duel. Gannon struck first during the top of the fourth inning. Jared Weisen (Girard, Ohio/Liberty) drew a one-out walk and scored on
Nico Baldelli's (Ellwood, Pa./Riverside) RBI double.
Clarion tied the game during the sixth inning, before the Gannon bullpen put out a potential fire. The Golden Eagles tied the contest on a throwing error and had a runner on second base with one out. However,
Shayne Herold (LeRoy, N.Y./LeRoy) came out of the bullpen to end the threat with a fly-out and a foul-out.
Neither team could score during their seventh-inning opportunities, before Gannon exploded for five runs in the top of the eighth inning.
Jeff Bellanca's (Grand Island, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) two-run single with the bases loaded snapped the tie. An
Eric Bradley (Mount Pleasant, Pa./Mount Pleasant) RBI single, a
Bob Roach (Erie, Pa./McDowell) RBI ground-out and a
Michael Tomko (Sharon, Pa./Sharon) RBI single added three more runs in the frame.
Herold then retired three of four Clarion batters during the bottom of the eighth to pick up his third victory in as many decisions. The redshirt senior shut out Clarion on one hit in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked none.
Spaeder received a no decision, but pitched well enough to win. The redshirt junior allowed only one run on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out five to go along with two walks.
Tomko and
Dylan Schwegler (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell Area) recorded two hits each. Wiesen scored twice and Bellanca drove home two runs.
The nightcap didn't hold nearly the same suspense. Gannon immediately scored four times during its first at-bat and lead 11-0 after three turns at the plate. The lead ballooned to 14-2 after four innings, before the Golden Knights tacked on one more run in the sixth.
Roach had a day at the plate, finishing 4-of-4 with three runs and five RBIs. The sophomore drilled his first two career homers out of the park during the nightcap.
Aaron Cox (Dorchester, N.J./Millville) went 2-for-4 with two runs, a home run and three RBIs.
Schwegler scored twice and drove home a pair of runs despite getting only one hit. Tomko recorded two hits in four plate appearances. Bellanca scored a team-high three runs.
Matt Wilwohl (Erie, Pa./McDowell) earned his first collegiate victory, logging five innings. The sophomore surrendered two runs on five innings. He struck out three with no free passes.
Jeff Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) and
Ryan Katelan (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) tossed shutout innings in relief.
Gannon improved to 10-6 overall and 4-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division with Tuesday's sweep. Clarion remained winless at 0-14 overall and 0-4 in conference action. The Golden Knights return to action Friday, March 29 against Lock Haven at Gannon University Field. The PSAC West twinbill is slated for 1 p.m.
