JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Clarion baseball team engaged in a pair of high-scoring slugfests on Friday, falling by scores of 11-4 and 10-9 to Pitt-Johnstown on the road.  The Golden Eagles (9-31, 2-20 PSAC West) will try to avenge those losses when they take on the Mountain Cats on Sunday.
 
Game 1
Clarion opened up the scoring in the top of the first inning, taking the early lead after an RBI single from Brady Andrews scored leadoff hitter Nick Fugh.  Andrews advanced to second in the same at-bat after an error in center field and reached third on a passed ball, eventually scoring on a steal of home to make it 2-0.
 
The Mountain Cats responded with a big home half of the first inning, scoring five runs on starter Chance Miranda (0-6) including a grand slam to make it 5-2.  They added a two-run blast in the bottom of the second inning to take a 7-2 advantage, but the Golden Eagles tried to rally back in the top of the sixth inning.  Max Mari got things going with a hard groundout to short that scored Andrews, and Cole Shaffer lined a double through the right side to score Dillon Wolbert to make it 7-4.  Pitt-Johnstown scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to finish the game with an 11-4 lead.
 
Andrews finished the first game 3-for-3 from the plate with an RBI and two runs scored.  Fugh added a 1-for-3 day with a run scored, while Mari and Shaffer had the other two RBI's for the Golden Eagles.
 
Game 2
Once again Clarion jumped out to a big lead, but for the second game in a row the Mountain Cats responded with a big inning of their own to negate the lead.  Bryce Jackson lifted a double to deep center to score Fugh and Chandler Palyas, and Shaffer followed that up with a two-run double of his own to put the Golden Eagles ahead 4-0.
 
Pitt-Johnstown pushed back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the first, but Clarion briefly re-took the lead in the top of the second.  With runners on second and third and just one out, Andrews hit a ball sharply to third base that was able to score Will Constantin.  The Mountain Cats pulled off a double play, however, getting Fugh and Andrews but not before it was a 5-4 lead.
 
The Mountain Cats led 8-5 after adding runs in the second and third innings, but Clarion cut it to just a one-run game in the top of the fourth.  Constantin ripped a double to left field to score Shaffer, and Palyas scored Austin Blauser on a sacrifice fly to make it 8-7.  With the Golden Eagles trailing 9-7 in the top of the fifth inning, Devin Beverly scored Wolbert on an RBI double and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 9-9.  Pitt-Johnstown took the lead for good in the home half of the inning on a solo shot off Dereck Pritchard (1-3), finishing off the win.