LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Golden Eagles baseball team kicked off their final series of the conference season on Thursday afternoon, splitting a pair of games with Lock Haven at Watkins Field. Clarion lost a pitchers' duel in the first game by a 2-1 score, before responding with a 7-4 win in the late game. 

Game 1: Lock Haven 2, Clarion 1 

RECAP: Both teams scored early in the first game before the respective pitching staffs took over, with the Bald Eagles earning the win after scoring two runs in the bottom of the second inning. 

Clarion opened the game with a run in the top of the first inning, scoring with two outs to take the lead. Doran Mast hit a one-out single through the right side of the infield and moved ahead to second base on a wild pitch, eventually scoring on Randy Carlo's two-out single to left field. 

The Bald Eagles finally broke through in the bottom of the second inning, scoring on RBI singles by Joseph DiSiena and Morgen Billotte to go ahead 2-1. Starting pitcher Garrett Starr buckled down after the top of the first, following up with four scoreless innings, while Brady Myers and Jace Szaflarski logged shutout innings themselves to close out the game. Likewise, Carter Barrett entered in relief of starter Braden Fetherolf in the fourth inning, tossing three innings of relief while allowing just two hits and one walk. 

The Golden Eagles' best chance to score came in the fourth inning after Jack Hurda drew a one-out walk and advanced to third on Brody Hinkle's double to left field. Cole Yeager grounded out and Ethan McNally struck out to end the threat. Caden Contant reached third base in the top of the sixth with a one-out single, but Hurda was thrown out trying to extend a single into a double and Hinkle flew out. 

Game 2: Clarion 7, Lock Haven 4 

RECAP: Clarion's runs came in bunches in the second game, with the Golden Eagles scoring four runs in the second inning and three in the second for additional insurance. Starting pitcher Aiden Hartle limited the Bald Eagles to three runs in 5.2 innings of work, followed by a four-out save for Reilly Shafer to clinch the win. 

In the top of the second inning, Clarion did all of their damage after two outs were already recorded. Hinkle, Yeager and Tyler Boraski strung together three straight singles, with Boraski's driving Hinkle across home plate to make it 1-0. Tyson Gill reached when he was hit by a pitch and Mast cleared the bases, smacking a two-run single to center field that was misplayed and allowed a third run to score. 

The Bald Eagles got three of their four runs in the bottom of the third inning, pulling to within 4-3 after a two-out RBI double by Robert Furino. Hartle settled from there, keeping Lock Haven off the scoreboard in the fourth and fifth innings before giving way to Shafer in the sixth. Shafer induced a fly out from Billotte to end the inning and preserve the lead. 

Clarion tacked on three more runs in the top of the seventh, starting with a sacrifice fly by Jack Hurda. Carlo blasted an opposite field two-run homer, his ninth of the season, to up the lead to 7-3. Shafer allowed a run in the bottom of the seventh but held the lead for the save.