INDIANA, Pa. - Heading to IUP for the first two games of a four game series, the Clarion University baseball team split an afternoon double-header against the IUP Crimson Hawks on Thursday, losing game one 11-9 and winning game two 9-5. The win and loss moves the Golden Eagles to 16-22 on the year and 6-12 in the PSAC West. The Blue and Gold return to action on Saturday, April 20 when they host IUP for a double-header to conclude the PSAC West matchup.
A late offensive explosion from the Golden Eagles bats was the story of game one, as the Blue and Gold smacked 12 hits off the IUP pitching staff en route to the loss.
Clarion managed to draw first blood when Nick Fugh homered to left center field driving in Bryce Jackson who singled in the previous at bat to make it 2-0 early on. The score would remain 2-0 until the bottom of the second when IUP made it 2-1 after two doubles allowed one run to cross the plate.
Clarion added on to their lead in the top of the third when Chandler Palyas lead the inning off with a walk and Alex Ficorilli singled to put runners in scoring position. Bryce Jackson cleared the bases in the next at bat doubling down the left field line driving in Palyas and Ficorilli to give Clarion the 4-1 advantage.
The Crimson Hawks answered with a big inning of their own, knocking four hits off of starter Nate Torbich in the bottom of the third. After taking advantage of a lead off walk, Matt Swartz got the hit parade started with a double to left center field that scored one, while another double allowed Swartz to cross the plate. A two-RBI single down the left field line added to IUP's lead, and after three full inning the Golden Eagles found themselves trailing 5-4.
After holding the Golden Eagles to a one, two, three inning, the Crimson Hawks would add to that lead with another big inning in the bottom of the fourth, ripping three more hits, one being a two run homer and another a three run shot, to help push their lead to 10-4. The Crimson Hawks would add one more run in the bottom of the fourth to give them a commanding 11-4 lead, but the Golden Eagles would not go away without a fight.
The score would remain 11-4 until the top of the seventh inning when the Golden Eagles batted around the lineup scoring five runs to threaten the IUP lead.It all started with a single from Tim Irons then advanced all the way to third on a throwing error. Palyas drove in Irons in the next at bat when he singled to right field, making it 11-5. After a Ficorilli single and a double steal both runners were in scoring position. After a Jackson strikeout Fugh came to the plate with two runners on and blasted a ball over the left field fence for his second homer of the game making it 11-8.
Clarion continued the offensive threat with a Ben Barth single, a Dillon Wolbert single and a Cole Shaffer single that drove in Barth making it 11-9, but couldn't push anymore runs across the plate as a foul out to first base ended the attack and ultimately the game.
Clarion responded in the clutch in game two, however, enjoying an offensive explosion of their own.
The Golden Eagles took an early lead in the top of the first when outfielder Nick Fugh launched his third long ball of the afternoon this time to right center field driving in Palyas and Ficorilli to give the Blue and Gold a 3-0 lead. Just like game one, after scoring first to make it 3-0, Clarion found themselves in a hole once again, trailing 5-3 after three innings thanks in part to a pair of walks and singles in the bottom of the third from IUP.
However, this time around Clarion would have the last laugh. Freshman Dan Fox pulled the Golden Eagles back within one run when he hit his first college career homerun over the right field fence making it 5-4.
Still trailing by one run heading into the top frame of the sixth inning, Thomas Lavin got the rally started with a huge double to start the inning. After Barth was plunked with a pitch and Irons reached on a fielder's choice to put two runners on, Wolbert put the Golden Eagles in the lead for good launching Clarion's fifth homerun of the afternoon to left field to make the score 7-5.
Clarion continued to press with good at-bats in the sixth to add to pad their lead. After Dan Janoson walked and stole second Ficorilli drove him in when he singled to left center field to make the score 8-5. Fugh tacked on another security run in the next at bat when he doubled to left field driving in Ficorilli to make it the final score of 9-5.
Fugh paced the offense the entire afternoon going six-for-eight on the day with three homeruns and nine runs batted in. Only striking out just once on the afternoon Fugh compiled four extra base hits, while scoring three runs of his own.
The performance proved to be the jump-start Clarion needed, as the Eagles closed out IUP for a 9-5 win.
