ERIE, Pa. - The Clarion University baseball team split a pair of decisions against the Gannon Golden Knights Sunday, dropping game one 6-0 and winning game two 7-6. The win and loss moves the Golden Eagles to 13-31 (5-21 PSAC) on the season, and marks the end of the 2017 campaign.
Gannon Hurler Santiago Mendez was the story in game one, tossing a complete-game one-hitter, striking out nine and scattering five walks on the afternoon to stifle the CU offense. Clarion hurler Kane Mccall through a complete game as well, going six full while giving up eleven hits and striking out four.
After opening a 3-0 gap after two innings, Gannon rode Mendez for the next three innings before busting things open with a three-run bottom of the sixth to secure the 6-0 win in game one.
Game two would prove to be a worthy finale to the 2017 season for Clarion, however.
After putting a pair of runners on the bases to open up the first inning,
John Finke legged out an infield single to score Mitch Holberg from second. The very next at-bat,
Brady Andrews kept things going with a single of his own, scoring
Joey Lopez to make it 2-0 Clarion early.
Things would hold steady for a few innings before the GU offense finally broke out and answered with a big response. An RBI double scored a pair to knot things up at two before a SAC fly from Gannon second-basemen Mike Colosi put the Knights ahead 3-2.
Again Clarion would draw even, and yet again Gannon would muster a response. CU tied things up at three when Andrews crushed a solo homer to left-center, however the jubilation was short-lived. Gannon strung together five hits in the bottom of the sixth for another three-run inning to go up 6-3, and push the blue and gold to within three outs of defeat.
Clarion needed another big outing at the plate, and again it was Andrews delivering, crushing a single to center-field that scored to to maker it 6-5 before
Wes Lang scored on a fielders choice to end the inning, but not before the damage had been done and the sent into extra innings.
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Joey Lopez single in the top of the eighth completed the comeback and capped of the 2017 season dramatic 7-6 win.