IUP SPLITS TWO GAMES, REMAINS HOPEFUL OF PSAC TITLE

IUP remained alive to play another day in the PSAC Baseball Championships.  The Crimson Hawks absorbed a 10-0 loss to West Chester in their first game of the double-elimination portion of the tournament, but bounced back with a 9-8 win over Cal U.

A 7-run fifth inning highlighted by Corey Stouffer’s grand slam spelled doom for IUP in the opener against West Chester.  IUP could manage only three hits.

In the second game, the Crimson Hawks took a 7-1 lead into the 8^th inning but gave up seven runs to fall behind, 8-7.  In the bottom of the 8^th, IUP’s Au’Sean Owens led off with a single and Markus Cestra doubled, putting runners on second and third.  Owens scored on Harrison Pontoli’s sacrifice fly, with Cestra alertly moving to third on the throw to the plate.  He then scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

IUP trailed 1-0 in the 5^th when they scored to tie it on Peyton Johnson’s RBI groundout.  The Hawks then scored in the 6^th on Saltsburg graduate Brady Yard’s two-run home run.  They scored an unearned run in the 7^th on an error on a ground ball, then Yard cracked a three-run double for his fifth RBI of the day.  Cal scored on four straight hits, a walk, and two more consecutive hits in the 8^th before the climactic final at-bat for IUP.

Yard finished with three hits and Cestra with two to lead IUP.

Coach Steve Kline says IUP rode a roller coaster yesterday, with the low of the loss to West Chester offset by the high of the win over Cal.

Kline was proud of his team for keeping their heads up after the loss in the first game.

West Chester will play a winner’s bracket game against Seton Hill today at 11 AM, with IUP to take on the loser of that game at 3 PM.  If IUP wins, they will have to beat the team advancing out of the winner’s bracket twice tomorrow to win the PSAC championship.

Kline says IUP will need to take advantage of their opponent having to deal with the same emotions they had after losing yesterday.

A good sign for IUP: In three games in the tournament, the Crimson Hawks have committed only one error (none yesterday).