Brandon Wetherholt
5
Winner Pitt-Johnstown UPJ-B 20-26-1
4
Gannon GAN-B 28-14
Winner
Pitt-Johnstown UPJ-B
20-26-1
5
Final
4
Gannon GAN-B
28-14
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Pitt-Johnstown UPJ-B 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 5 5 1
Gannon GAN-B 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 4 3 2

W: Jared Hoener (2-1) L: Boyer, Jaret (3-2)

5
Pitt-Johnstown UPJ-B 20-27-1
6
Winner Gannon GAN-B 29-14
Pitt-Johnstown UPJ-B
20-27-1
5
Final
6
Gannon GAN-B
29-14
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Pitt-Johnstown UPJ-B 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 5 11 0
Gannon GAN-B 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 6 11 0

W: Graeber, Matt (2-2) L: Luke Schrock (2-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Gannon Splits Pair of One-Run, Extra Inning Games with UPJ to Conclude Regular Season

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Gannon earned a split of its "home" doubleheader at Pitt-Johnstown on Sunday as the two teams went into extra innings in both games. Both contests were one-run affairs, with UPJ (20-27-1, 7-21 PSAC West) claiming the opener by a 5-4 score in 10 innings, and Gannon prevailing in the nightcap 6-5 in eight innings.

Gannon completes the regular season and now heads into the PSAC Tournament as the top seed in the PSAC West. The Golden Knights clinched the top seed on Saturday when Mercyhurst split with Slippery Rock. Gannon has a 29-14 record and finished at 20-8 in the PSAC West.

Ranked second in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings, they now begin play in the PSAC Tournament, hosted by Slippery Rock. The tournament begins on Wednesday, May 11 and runs through Saturday, May 14. Gannon faces East Stroudsburg (34-15, 15-9 PSAC East), the fourth seed in the PSAC East, on Wednesday in the late game at 8:00 p.m. The first-day losers are eliminated. Gannon, under first-year head coach DJ Cannon, seeks its first PSAC championship.

Gannon played all four games in the final home-and-home series in Johnstown with McConnell Family Stadium receiving a new artificial surface. The Golden Knights were the home team on Sunday.

GAME 1 – UPJ 5, Gannon 4 (10 innings)
Gannon saw its six-game winning streak come to an end in a game that went 10 innings, the longest of the season for the Golden Knights. Batting first as the visiting team, UPJ took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a wild pitch with two outs. Gannon was held without a hit the first three innings before finally breaking through for a run in the bottom of the fourth. Ian Hess (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) reached on an error to open the inning and moved to second on a single to right by Brandon Wetherholt (Gibsonia, Pa./Mars Area). The next two batters made outs, but Jared Bielanin (Erie, Pa./McDowell) hit a two-out double to left center to scores Hess. Neither team would score again until the eighth as Jacob Visha (Cleveland, Ohio/Trinity) retired 11 straight batters. The xxx was relieved after seven innings while throwing one of the best games of his career. The left-hander allowed just four hits and a walk while striking out four in seven innings, the longest outing of his career. Freshman Jaret Boyer (New Wilmington, Pa./Wilmington) relieved in the eighth and allowed a three-run homer to Lennox Pugh with two outs following a hit batter and a walk. Gannon answered with three runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at 4-4. Luke Callahan (Chardon, Ohio/Chardon) and Andrew Bryan (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) opened the inning with walks, with Callahan stealing third. With one out Hess singled to left to score Callahan. Wetherholt was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Ryan Kalbfus (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) pulled the Knights to within a run with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-3. Hess scored the tying run on a wild pitch before Jorge Mejia (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Colegio San Jose) grounded out to end the inning. UPJ would score the winning run in the top of the tenth inning. After a leadoff walk, Boyer induced a flyout. That brought on relief ace Joseph Reitebach (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg). The first batter he faced, Dylan Broderick, doubled down the right field line to give the Mountain Cats a 5-4 lead. Reitebach proceeded to strike out the next two batters. Gannon went down in order in the bottom of the tenth. Gannon was limited to three hits in the game.

GAME 2 – Gannon 6, UPJ 5
After the two teams combined for nine hits in the opener, both pounded out 11 hits in the nightcap.  The Golden Knights prevailed thanks to a run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Miguel Vega (Florida, Puerto Rico/Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy) pinch hit for Andrew Bryan (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) and stroked a single to left. Following a strikeout, Cameron Vozel (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) advanced Vega to second with a single. Seth Sanders (North Ridgeville, Ohio/Midview) pinch ran for Vega and scored the winning run on Brandon Wetherholt's (Gibsonia, Pa./Mars Area) single to right field. Gannon opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a pair of runs. Wetherholt singled and Ian Hess (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) followed with a two-run homer to right center, his 11th of the season, leaving him three shy of the school record. The redshirt junior first baseman set the career record for home runs last weekend and now has 29. UPJ tied the score at 2-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the third, but the Mountain Cats had a potential third run thrown out at home. Gannon went back ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the inning as Hess singled with two outs and Ryan Kalbfus (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) doubled, putting runners on second and third. Jorge Mejia (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Colegio San Jose) walked to load the bases, and Jared Bielanin (Erie, Pa./McDowell) walked to drive in Hess. UPJ took a 5-3 lead with a run in the fourth and two more in the top of the fifth, the latter inning aided by three walks. Gannon cut the deficit to one at 5-4 with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Wetherholt opened the inning with his third hit of the game, a double to right center, and Hess followed with his third, a single to center field driving in Wetherholt. Kalbfus was hit by a pitch, but the inning eventually ended on a lineout to first for a double play. Bryan began the tying rally in the bottom of the sixth with a one out single to right center. With two outs, Cameron Vozel (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) walked to put runners on first and second. Wethrholt and Hess were both hit by a pitches to force in the tying run. Hess ended the day 3-for-3 with 4 RBIs while Wetherholt went 3-for-4. Hess now has 41 RBIs, which is tied for seventh in a season, and 107 career RBIs, which ranks fifth. Carson Whiteman (Kane, Pa./Kane Area) pitched the first four innings, with Kyle Borrello (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg) going one-third of an inning. Matthew Graeber (Washington, Pa./Canon-McMillan) pitched the final 3.2 innings, allowing four hits and two walks with three strikeouts while holding UPJ off the scoreboard. He picked up the win to improve to 2-2.  

 
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