CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The Gannon and California (Pa.) baseball teams opened their much-anticipated showdown for first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division Saturday afternoon with a split. Gannon used a bases-loaded walk to win the first game 3-2, before Cal captured the split with an 8-0 victory in the nightcap.
The opener turned into a great pitching duel between Gannon's
Aaron Cox (Dorchester, N.J./Millville) and Cal's G.J. Senchak. Cal struck first with a single run during its first at-bat. Gannon finally got to Senchak in the top of the third inning thanks to a Vulcan miscue.
Bob Roach (Erie, Pa./McDowell) and
Mark DeVita (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) started the rally with back-to-back singles. Roach then scored the tying run on an errand throw on the back end of a potential double play.
Cal used two-out lightning during the bottom of the third to recapture the lead. Kyle Petty doubled with two outs and scored on A.J. Robinson's single through the right side.
With first place on the line, the tide swung again during Gannon's next at-bat in the fourth. Cox helped his own cause by tripling to left field with one out. The freshman later scored when California threw to first base to complete a strikeout, tying the contest at two.
Cox got out of a jam in the fifth when
Nico Baldelli (Ellwood, Pa./Riverside) picked Giovanni Morales off second to end the inning. It allowed the Golden Knights to later move ahead 3-2 during the top of the seventh inning. Gannon loaded the bases with no outs after a
Jeff Bellanca (Grand Island, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) single, a Roach walk and a DeVita bunt.
Jared Wiesen (Girard, Ohio/Liberty) followed with a four-pitch walk to force the eventual winning run across the plate.
California tried to rally during its final plate appearance, drawing a pair of walks to put runners on first and second with two outs. But Cox struck out lead-off hitter Zak Schmidt to put the final stamp on a 3-2 victory.
Six different Golden Knights recorded a hit while three different players accounted for the three runs. Cox went the distance on the mound, remaining perfect at 5-0 with his third complete game of the season. The freshman allowed two runs on five hits, striking out four and walking three.
Cal got its revenge in the nightcap, scoring every inning after a scoreless first during an 8-0 victory. The Vulcans scored twice during the second, third and fifth innings. The multiple-run outbursts combined with single runs in the fourth and sixth.
Baldelli and
Dylan Schwegler (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell Area) managed Gannon's only two hits of the game against Justin Taylor, who struck out five and walked none in seven innings.
Gannon, ranked ninth in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Atlantic Region Poll, moved to 18-12 overall and 10-4 in the PSAC Western Division with Saturday's split. Cal, ranked fourth in that same poll, is now 26-11 overall and 10-4 in conference action.
The showdown series for first place in the PSAC West concludes Sunday, April 21 with another twinbill at Gannon University Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. It will be Senior Day as eight Golden Knights will be honored between games.
