CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle baseball team took on one of the hottest teams in the nation on Friday afternoon, falling in both ends of a doubleheader to Seton Hill at Memorial Stadium. The Griffins won the first game of the day by a 9-3 score, followed by a 4-2 decision in the nightcap.
 
Seton Hill 9, Clarion 3
Recap: The Griffins jumped out to an early lead, touching up starter Michael Proios for three unearned runs in the top of the first inning to take the advantage on the home team. They tacked on runs in the third and fourth innings, with Max Mandler scoring on a double steal attempt in the third inning and Vincenzo Rauso driving in a run in the fourth.
 
Clarion got two of those runs back in the bottom of the fourth inning, starting with an leadoff triple by Daren Byers to get the ball rolling. Scott McManamon scored him on an single in the very next at-bat and advanced to second on a stolen base, setting up an RBI groundout by Lenny Piccini to make it a 5-2 game.
 
The lead was drilled down to 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning, starting with a one-out walk by Byers. McManamon roped an opposite field double down the right field line to advance him to third, and Kasey Shughart finished it off with an RBI grounder to third base.
 
The Griffins responded with a big number in the top of the seventh inning, scoring four runs in the frame to extend their lead to 9-3. Nate Petke hit a one-out single in the home half of the inning, but Emerson Abromavage grounded into an inning-ending double play to end the threat.
 
Proios finished with a six-inning outing, allowing nine runs though only six were earned. Logan Schlegel threw a scoreless inning of relief.
 
Seton Hill 4, Clarion 2
Recap: Starters Jon McCullough and Sam Rice started off the game with consecutive zeroes, with neither side getting on the scoreboard until Aidan Shephard hit an RBI double in the third inning to make it 1-0. The Griffins followed up with three runs in the fifth inning, including an RBI triple by Braden Durham that scored Rauso to make it a 4-0 game.
 
The Golden Eagles chipped away at that lead and cut it in half in the bottom of the sixth inning, with most of the action occurring with two outs. Connor Booth hit a one-out single to reach base  and reached second on an opposite-field single by Kasey Shughart. McManamon kept the inning going when he reached on an error, and Mason Kepler locked up the big hit with a two-run single through the left side to make it 4-2.
 
Ryan Gallagher tossed a scoreless seventh inning to keep it a two-run game, but the Griffins got a 1-2-3 inning in the home half to finish off the game.
 
Rice threw six innings of action, allowing four runs – two earned – while striking out three and walking one. Shughart and Booth both scored runs in the loss.
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