WASHINGTON, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle baseball team lost their final two games of the season in close fashion on Saturday afternoon, dropping a pair of walkoffs to California (PA) at Wild Things Park. Clarion held leads in both contests but was unable to hold on for the win in either as the scrappy Vulcans won 4-3 in extra innings in game one, and 5-4 in game two.
 
California (PA) 4, Clarion 3 (8 inn.)
Recap: Starting pitchers Nathan Holmes and Reilly Shafer traded zero after zero early in the game, with the two teams combining for just three total hits – two for Clarion and one for California – heading into the fifth inning.
 
The Golden Eagles broke the deadlock in the top of the fifth inning, putting up a two-spot to take the advantage. Sam Felner led off with a single and advanced to second after Sam Economy was hit by a pitch. Alfredo Hurtado moved the runners over with a grounder to third base, and Kasey Shughart brought the first of them home, hitting a fly ball to deep center field for a sacrifice fly. Scott McManamon followed with an RBI double, smacking a ball to deep right field to score Economy and make it 2-0.
 
Shafer worked shutouts in the fifth and sixth innings against the Vulcans, but ran into trouble in the bottom of the seventh. After retiring Nathan Meeks on a fielder's choice, he yielded a double to Colby Rockacy to put runners on second and third. Santino Marra lined out to second base but Brett Bobin drove in the pair with two outs, hitting a single to right center to even the score.
 
Relief pitcher Joe Rossi shut down the threat with a strikeout to end the inning, and the Golden Eagles struck first in the eighth as the game went to extra innings. Daren Byers drew a leadoff walk and both Tyler Meachum and Felner reached on back-to-back bunts, loading the bases after a throwing error allowed Felner to reach. Alfredo Hurtado drew a bases-loaded walk to bring Byers home, making it 3-2, but the duo of Shughart and McManamon both flew out without bringing home the runner on third to increase the lead.
 
The Vulcans jumped on the opportunity in the home half of the inning, starting with consecutive hits to put runners on second and third. Meeks eventually scored on a wild pitch, and Marra hit the walkoff RBI single to right center, scoring Jake Walker.
 
Shafer finished with a no-decision after allowing two runs in 6.2 innings of action. He struck out five and walked only one batter, throwing 101 pitches.
 
California (PA) 5, Clarion 4
Recap: Like the first game, the beginning of this game featured a long string of zeroes, this time with Michael Proios and Dylan Mathiesen the ones doing the dealing. Proios tossed six innings in his final collegiate game, striking out four and walking just two. He was touched up for three runs in the fifth inning, with Rockacy hitting an RBI single and Marra popping a two-run homer over the left field fence to make it 3-0.
 
Clarion was not to be deterred, though, as the Golden Eagles put up a huge inning in the top of the sixth to give themselves a chance to win the game. Connor Booth led off the inning with a single through the left side and two batters later McManamon delivered, blasting his team-record 11^th home run of the season to left-center field to cut the deficit to 3-2. McManamon jumped on the first pitch he saw for the 17^th home run of his career, moving him into a tie with Kevin Gledhill for second on the team's career record list.
 
That was not the end of the rally, though. Caden Contant and Daren Byers hit back-to-back singles to put runners aboard for Brett Pitzer, who drilled a double to the gap in left-center to score them both and make it a 4-3 lead. The Golden Eagles carried the advantage into the bottom of the seventh inning but Rockacy quickly erased it, hitting a leadoff solo home run to left field off reliever Logan Schlegel. The Vulcans managed to load the bases and ultimately took the win when Adam Crawford drew a walk to bring home the winning run.
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