SAVANNAH, Ga. (March 14) – The Vulcans posted their first series sweep of Slippery Rock since 2006 on Sunday, posting 13-8 and 8-6 victories over The Rock in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play at the Savannah Invitational.
With the sweep, the California University of Pennsylvania baseball team improves to 9-5 overall this season after registering an 8-2 mark at the week-long Savannah Invitational. The Vulcans also hold a 4-0 record in league action following the two doubleheader sweeps. Meanwhile, The Rock has lost their last five games to fall to 6-10 this year with a 0-4 record in divisional play after being the preseason favorites.,
In Game 1, senior right fielder Sam DiMatteo (Center, Pa./Center) finished with three hits, including a solo homer, and three RBI. Sophomore center fielder Troy Handza (Glenshaw, Pa./Shaler) belted a two-run homer and also collected three RBI, while junior Chuck Faust (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) added two hits and three RBI.
The trio of junior Aaron Ordy (Butler, Pa./Butler), sophomore Anthony Lamont (Clinton, Pa./South Side Beaver) and freshman Evan King (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) each finished with a pair of hits in the first game.
Sophomore Pat Gannon (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper Saint Clair) earned the win in relief for the Vulcans after freshman Tyler Zimm (Fayetteville, W.Va./Oak Hill) took a no-decision in his first career PSAC West start.
In the nightcap, Handza, Ordy and King again posted multi-hit games with King collecting a pair of RBI. Junior first baseman Adam Links (Fayetteville, W.Va./Oak Hill) also finished with two hits against Slippery Rock.
Senior starter Ryan Lavrusky (Temple Terrace, Fla./King) picked up the win after striking out six in 5.0 innings, while junior Sean Welsh (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) recorded the save after throwing the final two innings.
In the doubleheader, the Vulcans collected a total of 11 steals after leading the PSAC with 126 steals last season.
Cal U is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday, March 16, with a road PSAC Crossover doubleheader at Shippensburg, beginning at 1 p.m.
