INDIANA, Pa. – The Clarion baseball team opened up a four-game series with IUP on Friday afternoon, falling by scores of 9-6 and 17-4 to the Crimson Hawks in Indiana. The Golden Eagles (7-23, 2-12 PSAC West) will try to salvage a split with the Crimson Hawks tomorrow with another doubleheader in Indiana.
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Game 1
Jeremy Frazier (2-5) took the hill for the Golden Eagles to start the first game, allowing six runs in 4.0 innings pitched as the Crimson Hawks built an early lead. IUP went ahead during a three-run second inning and tacked on another in the top of the third before Clarion got on the board, when
Chandler Palyas scored
Nick Fugh with an RBI single to right field.Â
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The lead increased to 9-1 in the fifth inning before a furious Golden Eagle started to put the outcome in doubt.Â
Will Constantin led off the bottom of the fifth with a single and ended up on third after two wild pitches, and Palyas brought him home when he pulled a single into right field. Palyas eventually scored on a wild pitch, cutting the Crimson Hawks' lead to 9-3.Â
Max Mari scored
Cole Shaffer in the bottom of the sixth inning after the latter led off with a walk.Â
Garett Goslaw – who bumped Shaffer to third with a one-out double – scored on a passed ball to make it 9-5, and
Brady Andrews drove in Fugh in the bottom of the seventh to make it 9-6. IUP settled from there, with
Bryce Jackson striking out to end the threat.
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Game 2
Branden Schlick (1-2) allowed five runs to take the loss in the late game, striking out three and walking none. The Crimson Hawks scored four runs in the second inning and nine in the third to take a 13-0 lead and essentially take the win.
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The Golden Eagles continued to battle late into the game, though, loading the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning.Â
Matt Privette and
Dustin Daihl were hit by back-to-back pitches in that situation, scoring
Austin Blauser and
Mike Connell respectively.Â
Matt Kamenicky drew a walk in the next plate appearance to score
Devin Beverly, making it 17-3, and Beverly scored Mari on a sac fly in the bottom of the sixth inning to make it 17-4.
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