INDIANA, Pa. - Twice the Clarion baseball team mounted late rallies to come back on Saturday afternoon, but IUP rebuked them in both instances as the Golden Eagles dropped 9-7 and 9-8 decisions to the Crimson Hawks in Indiana.  The Golden Eagles (7-25, 2-14 PSAC West) will host Mercyhurst this weekend in a four-game set.

Game 1
The Golden Eagles fell behind the Crimson Hawks early but nearly battled all the way back from 6-2 and 8-4 deficits, pulling to within a single run in the sixth inning before ultimately falling by the 9-7 score.  Bryce Jackson and Brady Andrews each finished with two hits and three RBI's, while Jackson also drew a pair of walks.  Nate Torbich (1-5) took the loss with six runs allowed in 3.2 innings pitched, though he struck out five and walked none.
 
Clarion opened the scoring with an RBI single from Jackson that scored Nick Fugh, but the Golden Eagles soon found themselves in a 6-2 hole by the fourth inning.  Andrews began the process of chipping away at that hole with an RBI single to score Chandler Palyas, and Max Mari brought him across with one of his two doubles in the early game. 
 
Clarion trailed 8-4 entering the top of the sixth inning but again Andrews delivered, pulling a single to left field to plate Will Constantin and make it 8-5.  Jackson hit a two-RBI double to the right-center gap, scoring Andrews and Palyas to make it 8-7, but the Crimson Hawks tacked on an insurance run in the home half of the inning.  IUP held on for the 9-7 win.
 
Game 2
Once again the Golden Eagles rallied in the late innings, this time scoring five times in the top of the seventh inning to turn a 5-3 deficit into an 8-5 advantage heading in to the home half of the inning.  IUP responded with four runs in the bottom of the seventh, though, taking the 9-8 walkoff win.
 
Just as in Game 1, Clarion opened the scoring against the Crimson Hawks, with Fugh leading off the game with a home run and Jackson scoring Andrews on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0 after one inning.  Starter Chance Miranda kept the Crimson Hawks off the board until the fourth inning, when they tallied three runs, and ultimately surrendered five runs to IUP in the no-decision.
 
Cole Shaffer cut IUP's lead to 5-3 in the top of the sixth inning with a groundout that scored Andrews, but the real fireworks came in the seventh inning.  Dillon Wolbert bashed a solo home run over the wall in right-center to pull his team within one run, and Fugh scored pinch runner Matt Privette with a single to tie the game.  Palyas followed with an RBI double and Andrews punched a single to right field to make it 7-5.  Mike Connell wrapped the scoring for Clarion with an RBI double of his own, scoring Andrews and putting Clarion ahead by three runs.
 
Home runs by Cory Wheeler and Ted DeSanti pulled the Crimson Hawks even in the bottom of the seventh inning, and IUP eventually won on a walkoff solo shot off Tyler Hall (0-1).