March 18, 2009
KRIMSKY HELPS CLARION SPLIT WITH PITT-JOHNSTOWN
JOHNSTOWN - Jason Krimsky broke out of an early season slump Wednesday driving in six runs in two games helping the Clarion University baseball team split a doubleheader at No. 23 Pitt-Johnstown.
Krimsky went 2-for-4 with four RBIs in the opener helping Clarion claim a 10-5 win. He then added a 1-for-2 performance with a home run and two RBIs in the nightcap, a heartbreaking 3-2 loss for the Golden Eagles.
Game One quickly turned into a slugfest with the teams combining for seven runs in the first three innings with Pitt-Johnstown holding a 4-3 lead at the end of three. Krimsky got the scoring started with a two-run single in the first giving the Golden Eagles a quick 2-0 lead before Pitt-Johnstown answered back with a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 2-1. Clarion then scored a run in the third to make it 3-1 before UPJ answered with three in the bottom of the inning to take the 4-3 lead.
Clarion, however, tied the game on a Mark White sacrifice fly in the fourth, and the Golden Eagles took the lead for good with two runs in the fifth.
With one out in the fifth, Matt White doubled and Sean Zimmerman singled him to third. Zimmerman then moved to second on a groundout to the mound by Krimsky before Kirk Hays delivered a two-out, two-run single to give the Golden Eagles a 6-4 lead.
Pitt-Johnstown got a run back in the bottom of the fifth to make it 6-5 before Clarion broke the game open with four runs in the top of the seventh. Krimsky had a one-out, two-run single that made it 8-5 and then Mark White delivered a two-out, two-run double to set the final score.
Chuck Roller, Clarion's fourth pitcher of the day, got the win for Golden Eagles going three innings and allowing one unearned run on one hit while striking out three. Brandon Slater closed out the game with a scoreless seventh for Clarion. John Hynes started and went two innings allowing one run on one hit while striking out a batter. Eric Kempton was then allowed three earned runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batter in 1/3 of an inning before Eric Panko tossed 2/3 of an inning scoreless allowing one hit while striking out a batter.
In addition to the big game from Krimsky, Matt White was 3-for-3 with two doubles, a walk and two runs scored. Hays was 1-for-2 for a pair of walks, a run scored and two RBIs, Mark White was 1-for-3 with three RBIs and Matt Rossi was 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored.
Clarion had a good chance to sweep the doubleheader after getting a good outing from starting pitcher Gregg Bandzuh before watching Pitt-Johnstown score a run in the bottom of the sixth to break open a 2-2 tie and get the 3-2 win.
Bandzuh was the hard-luck loser going five-plus innings and allowing three earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three. Slater pitched an inning scoreless but did allow the eventual winning run to score when he relieved Bandzuh in the sixth with runners on first and third and no outs. Slater induced the first batter he faced to ground into a 6-4-3 double play, but on the play UPJ's Matt Petrowsky scored the go-ahead run. Petrowsky had led off the inning with a triple off Bandzuh.
Clarion, which scored its two runs in the second thanks to a two-run blast from Krimsky, his first of the year, had a chance to tie the game or go ahead with two outs in the seventh after Scott Berkes singled and Hays walked as a pinch hitter. But Roller, pinch hitting for Mark White, struck out swinging against the Mountain Cats Eric Faint to end the game.
Pitt-Johnstown had tied the game at two with two runs in the third.
Berkes was 2-for-3 to lead Clarion's offense, while Kempton was 1-for-3.
Clarion improves to 3-10 with the split, while Pitt-Johnstown drops to 15-3.
The Golden Eagles start PSAC-West play Friday when they host California at 1 p.m.
NOTES - Krimsky, who batted .289 in 2008, was 4-for-30 on the year going into the game. His two big games helped him raise his average 61 points on the day.
