CLARKSBURG, W.Va. - The Gannon baseball team pounded out 13 runs on 14 hits while
Brian Fisher (Coal Center, Pa./California Area) tossed a four-hit shutout during his first career appearance during a 13-0 whitewashing of Salem International Tuesday afternoon. The victory salvaged a non-conference split after the Tigers took game one by a 9-3 score.
Gannon rolled during the nightcap with four runs in the second inning, two in the third, two in the fourth and five in the fifth. The Golden Knights busted the game open early by batting through the line-up during the second inning.
Sean Sutton (Toronto, Ontario/Brebeuf College) drove home the first run with an RBI single.
Jeff Rachow (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Arcadia) followed with another RBI single, before
Bob Roach (Erie, Pa./McDowell) singled home a pair of runs.
The lead extended to 6-0 with a Sutton RBI ground-out and a
Jared Wiesen (Girard, Ohio/Liberty) two-out RBI double during the third inning. One inning later, the onslaught continued with a two-run bomb by
Zack Ranta (Hamilton, Ontario/Orchard Park Secondary). It was his second home run of the season.
Gannon sent 11 men to the plate during the fifth inning while putting the icing on the cake with five more runs. The first four Golden Knights walked, ending with
Taylor Anderson's (Niagara Falls, Ontario/A.N. Myer Secondary) bases-loaded freebie. After a run scored on a double play,
Aaron Cox (Dorchester, N.J./Millville) and
Jeff Bellanca (Grand Island, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) followed with back-to-back RBI doubles. The scoring came to an end with
Mark DeVita's (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) RBI single.
The 13 runs were the most by a Gannon team since a 15-2 victory against Clarion on March 26, 2013. But the story of the afternoon might have been Fisher, who was superb during his first-ever collegiate appearance. The true freshman scattered four hits through seven innings, striking out five and walking one. His pitched count topped out at 87. Fisher retired 12 of the last 14 hitters he faced.
Bellanca finished the nightcap 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. Wiesen, Roach, DeVita and Sutton recorded two hits each. Rachow scored three times while Ranta drove home three runs. Eight of Gannon's nine starters produced a hit. Anderson was the only Golden Knight without a hit, but he walked four times.
The opener appeared to be on pace for the same result after Gannon scored three times during its first at-bat. Ranta's two-run double was the big blow. Bellanca later added an RBI single.
However, that would be all of Gannon's scoring during the first game. Salem International immediately responded with five runs during the bottom of the first inning. Ten Tigers came to the plate before the frame ended with five runs on six hits and one error. The home squad added four more runs during the fourth inning to account for the 9-3 final score.
Ranta led the offensive charge in the opener with a 2-for-4 showing, scoring once and driving home two runs. Six other Golden Knights had a hit.
Matt Wilwohl (Erie, Pa./McDowell) tossed two shutout innings of relief.
Gannon moved its record to 9-21 overall with Tuesday's non-conference split. Salem International is now 8-26 overall. The Golden Knights return to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) action Friday, April 11 against Clarion at Gannon University Field. The twinbill is scheduled for 1 p.m.
