March 23, 2009
CLARION - The Clarion University baseball team swept a non-conference doubleheader from Point Park Monday by scores of 12-6 and 8-5 at Clarion's Memorial Field to run its winning streak to three games.
In the opener, Clarion (6-13) scored the first 12 runs before holding off a Point Park (5-13) rally in the seventh.
Clarion jumped out early to a 4-0 lead in the first when Adam Foltz scored on a walk by Kirk Hayes, Jason Krimsky scored on a Ken Morgan single and Matt White and Hayes were forced across the plate on back-to-back walks.
The Golden Eagles then added a pair of runs each in the second and third to go ahead 8-0 before putting the game out of reach with four more runs in the sixth.
In the sixth, Chad White led off with a double and scored on a Mark White single. Adam Foltz then drew a walk before Mark White was plated by a Scott Berkes single, and Berkes came around to score on a Matt Rossi single.
Kevin Keebler picked up the win for the Golden Eagles going five scoreless innings giving up three hits and striking out five. T.J. Anderson pitched 1 2/3 innings and was tagged for six runs on six hits and a walk before Brandon Slater got the final out of the game.
Foltz, Berkes, Matt White, Tom Briley and Mark White each had two hits to lead a 14-hit Clarion attack, while Krimsky added one hit, two RBIs and two runs scored, and Hays had one hit, two RBIs and two runs scored. Matt White and Briley each had a double.
In the second game, Clarion used a six-run rally in the bottom of the fifth to erase a 5-1 deficit and get the 8-5 win.
Sean Zimmerman led off the inning with a double and was plated by a Chad White single. Matt White and Mark White then hit back-to-back singles to load the bases before Chad White scored on a wild pitch. Matt and Mark White scored on a ball that was misplayed by the shortstop of the bat of Matt Rossi, and Rossi scored on a Krimsky single that rolled under the glove of the center fielder to put him on third. Erik Kempton then plated Krimsky with a single to round out the scoring for the inning.
Clarion also got solo runs in the first and the seventh with Berkes picking up an RBI in the seventh.
Gregg Bandzah got the win in relief going 1 2/3 scoreless innings giving up four hits and a strike out. Kirk Hayes got the save going a scoreless seventh after coming on in relief of Ray Pollum (1 inning, 1 hit, 1 walk) with two men on and no one out. Ron Cannon started and went the first 3 1/3 innings allowing five runs, three of them earned, on three hits, two walks and a hit batter. He struck out two.
Krimsky, Chad White and Kempton each had two hits helping Clarion get 12 in the nightcap, while Chad White also scored a pair of runs. Chad White and Zimmerman had extra base knocks with a double each.
Clarion returns to action Friday when it hosts Gannon in a PSAC-West doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
