On a day when the baseball program honored its 2006 NAIA World Series team, the Griffins earned a split with visiting Clarion on Saturday afternoon. Clarion rallied from being down 4-0 for a 5-4 win in game one. SHU earned the split with a 9-4 win in game two. SHU is now 29-11 on the season and 14-6 overall. Clarion falls to 5-24 and 2-16 in PSAC play.
SHU got on the board first in the bottom of the first of game one thanks to two long balls.
Garret Vrbanic led off the inning with a single and scored when
Matt Malacane homered to center field.
Chris Miller followed Malacane's blast with one of his own extending the SHU lead to 3-0. Vrbanic singled, stole second and scored on a failed pick off in the second inning, giving the Griffins a 4-0 lead. That would be all the offense the Griffins would produce in game one as they went scoreless over the final five innings. Clarion got two runs back in the top of the sixth with a two run homer. The Golden Eagles took the lead with three runs in the top of the seventh.
Zac Heide drew a leadoff walk in the seventh but was stranded on third base when a strikeout ended the game. Miller was the lone Griffin with two hits in game one.
Clarion scored first in game two in the top of the first inning thanks to two Griffin errors. Seton Hill answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Vrbanic led off the inning getting hit by a pitch.
Anthony Fanelli doubled to score Vrbanic. Fanelli scored on a Malacane single.
Mark Colella led off the second inning with a homer to left center. Vrbanic then drove in
Tom McCarthy to give SHU a 4-1 lead. Clarion got one of those runs back in the top of the third. SHU added a run in the fourth on a wild pitch. The Griffins added four runs in the fifth inning. Malacane, Previsky each drove in one and Colella drove in two in the inning.
Anthony Fanelli,
Matt Malacane and
Mark Colella finished the game with two hits.
SHU will take a break from PSAC West play on Wednesday with a single, 9 inning contest at Point Park.