CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle baseball team opened up their four-game set with Gannon with a doubleheader split on Thursday afternoon, taking the first game from the Golden Knights by a 6-3 score before falling 8-5 in the late game.
 
Clarion 6, Gannon 3
Recap: The first game was one where the Golden Eagles built momentum as time went on, coming back from two early deficits to finish with a solid series-opening victory over the Golden Knights. That was exemplified in starter Michael Proios, who gave up a run to start the game and two more in the third inning but otherwise shut down Gannon. He finished having allowed just three runs on five hits.
 
Gannon led 1-0 after the top of the first, but a series of good two-out plate appearances put the Golden Eagles ahead in the home half of the inning. Caden Contant drew a two-out walk and advanced to third on Mason Kepler's double down the right field line, putting a pair of runners in scoring position for Daren Byers. Byers added yet another clutch hit to his season resume, striking a single to right field that scored the both of them and put the Golden Eagles ahead 2-1.
 
Jared Bielanin and Ryan Kalbfus added RBI singles for the Golden Knights in the top of the third inning, giving Gannon a 3-2 lead, but the Golden Eagles took advantage of their opponents' miscues to take the lead back in the fourth. Kasey Shughart started it off by hitting an infield single off pitcher Kevin Schott and then taking second base when Schott's throw to first base was off line. Lenny Piccini followed with a hard-hit ball to right field, and Sam Economy walked to load the bases with no outs. The tying run came across on Tyler Meachum's squeeze bunt attempt, when the ball popped in the air over Schott and allowed Meachum to reach and Shughart to score. Scott McManamon added an infield single to score Piccini, giving Clarion a one-run lead.
 
Piccini was rewarded for his good day at the plate with an RBI single in the fifth inning, smashing a ball to deep left field to score Byers, and McManamon hit his eighth home run of the season in the sixth inning to provide additional insurance. Joe Rossi worked a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth inning to build the bridge to Griffin Snyder, who tossed a scoreless seventh to finish with the save.
 
McManamon, Byers and Piccini each finished with two hits.
 
Gannon 8, Clarion 5
Recap: The second game of the day hinged on a pair of big innings, one to put Gannon ahead early and another to solidify the result late. Kieran Gagnon rapped a hard single up the middle against starter Sam Rice to put the Golden Knights up 3-0 in the first inning, and Trey Zeroski added another hit to the same spot to make it a 4-0 game.
 
Contant got one of those runs back in the first inning, hitting a sacrifice fly to deep center field to bring Meachum across after the latter hit a leadoff single and advanced on a passed ball and a wild pitch, respectively. Daren Byers also helped the Golden Eagles score a run in the third inning to cut the lead in half, though he was not credited with an RBI; the senior outfielder hit a ball to left center field, bringing Contant from first to third base, and the latter eventually came around to score as Byers put himself into a rundown that drew the defense away.
 
Gannon led the game 5-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, but Contant again found himself in the middle of the action. Nate Petke and Meachum were on second and third with one out when Contant pulled a single to left field, scoring the pair and making it a 5-4 game. The Golden Eagles appeared to have the momentum but Gannon tacked on three runs in the sixth inning to build an 8-4 lead. Byers scored McManamon on a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning but Clarion could not complete the comeback.
 
Contant finished the second game 1-for-3 at the dish but with a run and three RBIs. McManamon and Piccini each had two hits. Read Full Article