Alex Bemis vs. D&E
Mike Gallagher
2
Gannon GU 21-24
3
Winner Indiana (Pa.) IUP 23-24
Gannon GU
21-24
2
Final
3
Indiana (Pa.) IUP
23-24
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Gannon GU 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 5 1
Indiana (Pa.) IUP 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 3 6 2

W: N. Rispoli (1-1) L: Smith, Connor (1-1)

13
Winner Gannon GU 21-25
10
Indiana (Pa.) IUP 24-24
Winner
Gannon GU
21-25
13
Final
10
Indiana (Pa.) IUP
24-24
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Gannon GU 1 0 3 1 6 1 1 13 13 0
Indiana (Pa.) IUP 0 1 0 0 1 5 3 10 15 1

W: Tkatch, Zach (3-1) L: N. Mankoski (3-4) S: Wheelock, Ashton (1)

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

Golden Knights Win Wild Second Game to Earn Split at IUP

Bemis drives in four runs to lead the way

INDIANA, Pa. – The Gannon baseball team ended the season with a win as the Golden Knights doubled their win total from 2024. The Golden Knights split a doubleheader at Indiana (Pa.) on Friday afternoon. IUP won the opener 3-2 in eight innings before Gannon came back with a wild 13-10 victory in the nightcap.

The two teams ended up splitting the four-game series over the last two days, with IUP winning the opener and Gannon the second game both days. The Golden Knights end the fourth year under head coach DJ Cannon at 22-25 and 14-14 in the PSAC West.

Cannon was forced to use a makeshift lineup on Friday with several regulars out due to injuries. Reliever Logan Ayres (New Castle, Pa./Laurel) threw an outstanding game in the opener in his second start of the season. The lefthander pitched the first six innings.

Gannon jumped out to a 12-2 lead in the nightcap thanks to a six-run fifth inning but then had to hold on as IUP scored five runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh. Ashton Wheelock (Ashtabula, Ohio/Lakeside), the fifth Gannon pitcher, came on to get the final two outs and collect his first career save.

Game 1 – Indiana (Pa.) 3, Gannon 2
IUP scored the winning run with an out in the bottom of the eighth. The Crimson Hawks loaded the bases on an error and a pair of walks and Cayden Bender singled to left field to drive in the winning run.

Gannon received a brilliant pitching performance from Logan Ayres (New Castle, Pa./Laurel), who was making just his second start of the season. The lefty threw the first six innings, allowing five hits and two walks with six strikeouts. The six innings and six strikeouts were both career highs. Ayres had just one bad inning, allowing two runs in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run triple with two outs.

A revamped Gannon lineup took a 1-0 lead in the fourth as Ian Soto (Florida, Puerto Rico/Academia Cristiana de Manati) hit a hopper to short that was ruled an error. He moved up on a passed ball and scored on Dom Costello's (North Olmsted, Ohio/North Olmsted) double to center.

The lead grew to 2-0 on a Connor Smith (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny) two-out double in the fifth. Smith plated Cainen Atherton (Mount Union, Pa./Mount Union Area), who walked, stole second and moved to third on a ground out.

Smith came in to pitch in the seventh and retired the Crimson Hawks after allowing a leadoff walk.  

GAME 2 – Gannon 13, Indiana (Pa.) 10
Gannon ended the year with a victory thanks to a six-run fifth inning to seemingly blow the game open. Eleven batters went to the plate, with Alex Bemis (Monroe, Ohio/Monroe) capping the six-run outburst with a three-run homer, his eighth of the season. Chris Mullins (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) added a sacrifice fly and two scored on a wild pitch followed by a bad throw from the catcher to allow another run to score.

Gannon scored an insurance run in the seventh inning and it almost turned out to be an important run as IUP scored three times and had runners on first and second when Ashton Wheelock (Ashtabula, Ohio/Lakeside) induced a grounder to third for a fielders choice. He recorded the final two outs for his first career save.

Ian Soto (Florida, Puerto Rico/Academia Cristiana de Manati) opened the scoring with a home run to right field with two outs in the first. It was his sixth of the season. IUP knotted the score in the second with a run but the Golden Knights took the lead for good with three runs in the fourth. Tommy Koroly (Mars, Pa./North Catholic) tripled and came home on Bemis' single. Connor Smith (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny) singled and both later scored on a two-run single by Dom Costello (North Olmsted, Ohio/North Olmsted). Smith added an RBI single in the fourth to make it 5-1.

IUP ended up with 15 hits compared to 13 for Gannon. Bemis was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and four RBIs. Freshman Tommy Koroly (Mars, Pa./North Catholic), making his ninth start of the season, went 3-for-4 with a double and triple. Connor Smith (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny) was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Freshman Zach Tkatch (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) finished the season at 3-1 going the first five innings. He allowed two runs on five hits with a walk and a strikeout.
 
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