CARY, NC – Closing out their spring break trip, the Clarion baseball team dropped an 8-5 decision to the LIU Post Pioneers on Sunday afternoon at the USA Baseball Training Complex in Cary, NC.

The Pioneers, who play in the North East 10 Conference, improved to a noteworthy 6-6 on the early season while the Golden Eagles drop to 7-8 on the year.

LIU Post got the scoring started in the first inning when Christopher Wasson drove in one run off of a single to left field that scored Giovanni Ciaccio.
 
The Golden Eagles struck back in the top of the second inning when Matt Privette reached safely on an error advancing to second base on the throw, allowing Tim Irons to advance to third and Cole Shaffer to score tying the game at one. Dan Janoson would give the Golden Eagles the lead in the next at bat with an RBI groundout that scored Irons from third.

The Pioneers wouldn't trail for long though, hitting a homerun in the bottom of the second inning to tie the game once again.
 
Shaffer would reach base in the top of the third inning on a fielding error that allowed Bryce Jackson to score and Nick Fugh to advance to third base on the throw. Post tied the game for the third time in as many innings sending another bomb over the left field fence to make it three all.
 
The Pioneers would strike back and take the lead for good with two runs in the fourth inning when Jimmy Mendyk doubled on a 0-2 count, scoring one run and Giovanni Ciaccio doubled on a 3-1 count, scoring another to make the score 5-3. LIU Post would plate three more runs, one in the bottom of the fifth and two coming in the bottom of the eighth.
 
The Golden Eagles would tally two more runs in the ballgame the first coming off of a Chandler Palyas double to right field that scored Dan Fox making the score 4-6. Nick Fugh tripled into left venter field in the bottom of the ninth inning to score Jackson to end the scoring for the Blue and Gold.

Dillon Wolbert toed the rubber for the Golden Eagles, tossisng three innings, allowing five hits and three runs while striking out three. Bryce Grenet, Ben Mongelluzzo and Bailey Durocher each contributed in relief for Clarion, with Grenet throwing 3.2 innings allowing four hits and striking out one.

Joshua Loeschom was on the hill for LIU Post. He surrendered three runs on six hits over five innings, striking out four and walking just one. The Pioneers also smacked three home runs on the day. Dave Brehm had a dinger in the third inning, Michael Manzione had a homer in the fifth inning and Zach Fritz went for the long ball in the second.
 
Despite the loss, the Blue and Gold saw the ball well today, racking up nine hits on the afternoon. Fugh and Jackson each collected multiple hits for the Golden Eagles. Fugh went 3-for-4 at the plate on the afternoon to lead the Blue and Gold in hits.
 
The Golden Eagles will head to East Stroudsburg for the East Stroudsburg Tournament on March 15^th, where they will take on East Stroudsburg and Saint Anselm College.