JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The Clarion Golden Eagles baseball team faced off against Pitt-Johnstown in a thrilling doubleheader on Saturday at Point Stadium, finishing with a narrow 5-4 loss in the first game, followed by a convincing 6-2 victory in the second.
Game 1: Pitt-Johnstown 5, Clarion 4
In the first game, the Golden Eagles came up just short despite a spirited late-game push with two runs in the seventh inning. Pitt-Johnstown jumped out front in the first inning when Alex Ebeling scored on Lucas Muffie's single, opening the scoring at 1-0. The Mountain Cats widened the gap to 3-0 in the fifth, thanks to Brody Roberts scoring on a single by Karson Reffner and Ebeling capitalizing on a throwing error.
Clarion answered back in the sixth.
Elvin Robles drew a walk and crossed the plate on
Derek Smail's two-run homer, narrowing the margin to 3-2. The Golden Eagles surged ahead in the seventh when
Jon Fijalkowski scored via an RBI single from
Ethan Giangiulio, and Ethan Zayas, pinch-running for Giangiulio, came home on Zach Colangelo's sacrifice fly, putting Clarion up 4-3. However, UPJ rallied in the bottom of the seventh, with Stephen Rodgers and Aaron Smearman scoring unearned runs on a passed ball and a wild pitch, clinching a 5-4 win for the Mountain Cats.
On the mound,
Luke Pietrandrea turned in a strong performance, pitching 6 innings with 7 hits, three runs (two earned), and five strikeouts over 99 pitches, 70 of which were strikes. Offensively,
Derek Smail shone with a home run, driving in two and scoring once.
Elvin Robles made his mark with a hit, a run, and two walks.
Tyson Gill added a hit and swiped a base.
Game 2: Clarion 6, Pitt-Johnstown 2
In the second game, Clarion soared to a convincing 6-2 win. A pivotal fifth inning, where the Golden Eagles exploded for five runs, fueled their 11-hit barrage and capitalized on four costly errors by the Mountain Cats. Clarion broke the ice in the fourth inning when
Ethan McNally punched a single up the middle, swiped second, and moved to third on a groundout. Zach Colangelo then brought him home with a single to right, putting the Golden Eagles up 1-0.
The fifth inning was all Clarion. Singles by
Ethan Giangiulio and
Derek Smail, with
Cesar Lopez stepping in as a pinch runner, set the stage.
Elvin Robles loaded the bases with another single, and
Jacob Patterson came through with a clutch single to left, driving in two. Robles stole home, and Patterson scored on a wild pitch, while
Jon Fijalkowski also took advantage of a wild pitch to score, having reached on a walk, pushing the lead to 6-0.
UPJ tried to claw back in the sixth. Calvin Iseminger walked and scored on Lucas Muffie's double, and Muffie later crossed the plate during a double-play groundout. But the Golden Eagles kept them at bay, holding a 6-2 lead. In the final inning,
Will Dean shut the door on UPJ, retiring them in order to seal the victory.
Braden Fetherolf delivered on the mound for Clarion, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs while striking out six and walking three.
Will Dean was solid in relief, offering two scoreless innings, giving up just one hit.
Ethan Giangiulio chipped in with two hits and a run.
Jacob Patterson was pivotal with a hit, two RBIs, and two stolen bases, keeping the pressure on. Zach Colangelo added a hit and an RBI, despite three strikeouts, contributing to the Golden Eagles' triumph.
