Ian Soto vs. D&E
Mike Gallagher
3
Slippery Rock ROCK-B 17-10, 7-4 PSACWest
6
Winner Gannon GANBASE 11-16, 4-7 PSACWest
Slippery Rock ROCK-B
17-10, 7-4 PSACWest
3
Final
6
Gannon GANBASE
11-16, 4-7 PSACWest
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Slippery Rock ROCK-B 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 8 0
Gannon GANBASE 0 0 1 0 1 1 3 6 9 0

W: Berdine, Brady (1-0) L: Joey Vanzin (1-2)

4
Slippery Rock ROCK-B 17-11, 7-5 PSACWest
10
Winner Gannon GANBASE 12-16, 5-7 PSACWest
Slippery Rock ROCK-B
17-11, 7-5 PSACWest
4
Final
10
Gannon GANBASE
12-16, 5-7 PSACWest
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Slippery Rock ROCK-B 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 4 10 2
Gannon GANBASE 2 2 0 4 2 0 X 10 13 1

W: Engel, Jacob (3-1) L: Ethan Edkins (2-3)

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

Golden Knights Sweep Slippery Rock Behind Soto, Bemis

ERIE, Pa. – What a difference a day makes! On Friday the Gannon baseball team suffered a pair of tough one-run losses at Slippery Rock, scoring just two runs. On Saturday the Golden Knights bats came alive and proceeded to sweep The Rock by scores of 6-3 and 10-4.
The wins left the Golden Knights at 12-16 overall and 5-7 in the PSAC West while SRU dipped to 17-11 and 7-5, respectively. The 12 wins are one more than last year's 11-win season.

Gannon has suffered nine losses in the opponents' last at bat this year, but Saturday's first game was a walk-off win for the Golden Knights. Ian Soto (Florida, Puerto Rico/Academia Cristiana de Manati) launched a game-winning three-run homer over the center field fence with one out in the bottom of the seventh.  
Sophomore third baseman paced the second game victory with a home run, two doubles and five RBIs.

Game 1 – Gannon 6, Slippery Rock 3

HOW IT HAPPENED
Gannon took a 2-0 lead with single runs in the third and fifth innings. Dom Costello (North Olmsted, Ohio/North Olmsted) accounted for the first run with a home run to straightaway center, his first of the season and second of his career. In the fifth inning Frank Kula (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) was hit by a pitch with one out and came around to score on Wes Parker's (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) double to center.

Slippery Rock took a 3-2 lead with three runs in the top of the sixth, chasing starter Zach Tkatch (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley). The freshman had kept SRU off the board for five innings but The Rock had three straight hits with one out after the leadoff batter walked. Freshman Brady Berdine (Warren, Pa./Warren Area) recorded the final two outs of the inning on a pickoff at first and a fly ball.

Gannon tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth. After retiring the first batter Gannon had three consecutive hits against SRU reliever Joey Vanzin. Connor Smith (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny) opened the rally with a single and moved to third on Hunter Troiano's (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seneca Valley) second single of the game. Smith tied the game on Drew Stangelo's (Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) single up the middle.

Berdine allowed a walk but retired The Rock in the top pf the seventh setting the stage for Ian Soto's (Florida, Puerto Rico/Academia Cristiana de Manati) heroics. With one out Bemis walked and stole second. Parker was intentionally walked bringing Soto to the plate. The redshirt junior crushed a Vanzin offering to straightaway center field for the walk-off three-run homer, his third of the season.

BY THE NUMBERS
Gannon ended the game with nine hits while SRU had eight. Hunter Troiano (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seneca Valley) was 2-for-3 while Ian Soto (Florida, Puerto Rico/Academia Cristiana de Manati) hit a three-run homer and Dom Costello (North Olmsted, Ohio/North Olmsted) a solo shot.

Freshmen Zach Tkatch (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) and Brady Berdine (Warren, Pa./Warren Area) held The Rock to just three runs. Tkatch threw 5.1 innings allowing eights and two walks with two strikeouts. Berdine relieved and threw 1.2 shutout innings to pick up his first collegiate win.

Game 2 – Gannon 10, Slippery Rock 4

HOW IT HAPPENED
Gannon took a 1-0 lead two batters into the game as Frank Kula (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) led off with a single, stole second and scored on Alex Bemis' (Monroe, Ohio/Monroe) double to left. Bemis came around to score when Ian Soto (Florida, Puerto Rico/Academia Cristiana de Manati) reached on an infield single and the throw got past the first baseman allowing Bemis to score.

Slippery Rock countered with a run in the second but Gannon came back with a pair on Bemis' two-run homer, his third of the year.
Gannon scored four runs in the fourth to go ahead 8-1. Brendan Koroly (Mars, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) opened the inning with a double and Bemis was hit by a pitch. Wes Parker (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) drove in both with a triple and scored on an error on the play. One batter later Connor Smith (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny) hit his second home run of the day.

Both teams scored twice in the fifth inning to make it 10-3. Gannon's runs came across on Bemis'  two-run double, giving the sophomore shortstop five RBIs on the day.  SRU added a run in the sixth inning against reliever Nick Roberston but he left the bases loaded with a pair of strikeouts.

BY THE NUMBERS
Gannon finished with 13 hits compared to 10 for Slippery Rock. Alex Bemis (Monroe, Ohio/Monroe) reached base all four plate appearances with a home run, two doubles and a hit by pitch. He drove in five runs. Frank Kula (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) and Brendan Koroly (Mars, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) were 2-for-3 with Kula stealing a pair of bases. Wes Parker (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Connor Smith (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny) hit a home run for the second straight game.

Jacob Engel (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) improved to 3-1 allowing seven hits and a walk over the first five innings. The redshirt sophomore struck out two.

UP NEXT
Gannon is scheduled to play a doubleheader at Ashland on Wednesday, April 9. The Golden Knights then return to PSAC West action with four games against Pitt-Johnstown next weekend.    
 
Print Friendly Version