Seton Hill began defense of its PSAC Western Division title with a doubleheader in Johnstown on Thursday afternoon with Pitt Johnstown.
 
The Griffins scored two insurance runs in the seventh inning of game one to open the doubleheader with a 4-1 win over the Mountain Cats.  SHU completed the sweep with a 6-3 win in game two.  SHU is now 13-4-1 overall and 2-0 in the west. 
 
Seton Hill broke the scoreless tie in the third inning.  Tanner Froehlich singled to open the inning.  After Braden Durham reached on a fielders choice, Owen Sabol and Vincenzo Rauso walked to load the bases.  Isaiah DiAndreth followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Griffins a 1-0 lead. 
 
SHU added another run in the fourth inning.  Neal McDermott doubled to lead off the inning.  He moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI ground out from Nate Dorinsky. 
 
The Mountain Cats used back to back hits with two outs in the sixth to chase SHU starter Kevin Vaupel after cutting the lead to 2-1.  Closer Nash Bryan came on to record a strikeout and strand the game tying runner at third base.
 
The Griffins added two more insurance runs in the seventh after two outs.  Durham reached on an error and Sabol was hit by a pitch to put two runners on.  Rauso walked to load the bases and both Durham and Sabol scored when DiAndreth singled, giving SHU a 4-1 lead. 
 
Vaupel went 5.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out eight.  Bryan gave up one hit while striking out two to earn his sixth save.  DiAndreth drove in three of the four SHU runs. 
 
It did not take the Griffins long to score in game two.  They scored four times in the top of the first inning.  Sabol and Rauso walked to start the game.  DiAndreth followed with a single to right center scoring Sabol.  Oberdorf made it 2-0 with a squeeze play, scoring Rauso.  McDermott reached on a bunt base hit and then executed a double steal with DiAndreth.  Later in the inning Durham singled to knock in McDermott. 
 
The Mountain Cats got one of those runs back with a solo homer in the bottom half of the inning then scored two times in the third inning.
 
SHU scored twice in the sixth inning to increase their lead to 6-3.  Froehlich walked with one out and Brett Morris singled to put runners on first and second.  They both moved up on a ground out.  Pinch runner Jaden Starks scored on a passed ball and pinch runner Blake Barker scored on a Rauso RBI single.
 
Caiden Wood earned the win with 3.2 innings of scoreless relief.  He struck out four while allowing just two hits.  Michael Marinchak with a scoreless seventh to earn a save.  He had three strikeouts in the inning.  
 
The teams will meet in Greensburg on Friday afternoon in the second set of games in the four game PSAC West set.