March 14, 2009

MANSFIELD - The Clarion University baseball team split a doubleheader with Mansfield Saturday afternoon on the road getting a 3-2 victory in the nightcap after dropping a 2-0 decision in the opener.

In the second game, Chuck Roller pitched 6 1/3 innings of solid ball allowing two runs, both of them earned, on six hits and three walks while striking out five.

With Clarion (2-9 overall) ahead 3-1, Roller (1-0) got the first out of the seventh inning before allowing a hit and a walk. Brandon Slater then came in and got the second out on a fielder's choice leaving runners at first and third before Mansfield got a single that made it a 3-2 game. But Slater got the last batter to ground out to catcher Matt White to pick up his first save of the year.

Two-out lighting was the name of Clarion's offensive game, as the Golden Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the third despite having no one on and two outs while adding two more runs in the sixth despite having no one on and two away.

In the third, Matt Rossi singled home Adam Foltz, who had started the rally with a two-out single. Then in the sixth, back-to-back doubles by Mark White and Jeremy Womer after two outs made it 2-0 Clarion before Womer scored when Foltz reached on an error.

Rossi was 2-for-3 in the game, while Foltz was 2-for-5.

In the first game, Eric Panko (0-3) gave Clarion six solid innings allowing just the two run, both earned, on six hits and three walks while striking out seven. But Clarion's offense mustered just five hits off two Mansfield pitchers. Clarion did get the tying run to the plate with no one out in the seventh inning but wasn't able to get a run home.

Mansfield is 8-12 after the split.

Clarion is scheduled to return to action Wednesday at Pitt-Johnstown.