PITTSBURGH, PA – #18 La Roche clinched at least a share of the AMCC Regular Season Title after sweeping Pitt-Bradford 11-8, 19-4 on Saturday afternoon. The Redhawks can earn the conference championship outright with a victory tomorrow against Alfred State.
Game 1: The Redhawks grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Jon Spina drew a leadoff walk and scored on a Shane Roebuck sac fly to centerfield.
Starter Nick Tunstall tossed a scoreless bottom of the first and the Redhawks took control in the second inning.
Dylan Urban drew a walk, stole second, and scored on an Austin Hoffman double down the right field line. Hoffman advanced home on a Spina groundout and Joe Professori hit in a pair in the next at bat. Gino Qualhiero and Urban added RBIs for a 6-0 lead through two and a half.
Tunstall tossed perfect second and third innings and La Roche added to their lead. Spina hit in Jonathan Melendez while Christian Hirt scored an unearned run in the third.
Hirt and Jay Novak provided RBIs in the fourth for a 10-0 lead.
Pitt-Bradford got back into it with a run in the bottom of the fourth and six more in the fifth. The Panthers made it a 10-8 game with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth.
Quahliero gave the Redhawks a cushion with an RBI groundout in the top of the seventh. Shane Emrich shut the door in the seventh for his fifth save of the year.
Tunstall improved to 5-1, allowing just 1 runs and 3 hits over four innings. Spina, Roebuck, and Quahliero all had 2 RBIs. Proessori hit in two runs.
Game 2: The Redhawks rolled in game 2.
Urban singled home Quahliero in the second while a Professori RBI single and Melendez steal of home gave the Redhawks a 3-0 lead after three innings.
That was all starting pitcher Tre Thomas needed as he allowed just one run over six innings.
The Redhawks broke it open with 6 runs in the sixth inning. They took advantage of Pitt-Bradford errors and strung together six straight hits. Hoffman, Professori, and Roebuck each had RBI doubles in the inning. Melendez provided a 2-run single.
La Roche went through the entire order in a sixth run seventh inning. Elmo Trickett scored two with a double to the centerfield wall. Melendez, Spina, Professori, and Novak all had RBI hits.
Jesse Savisky retired the side in the seventh inning and the Redhawks scored four more runs in the eighth. Melendez, Spina, and Professori again provided RBIs.
Pitt-Bradford scored three runs in the ninth but La Roche earned the big victory.
Thomas earns his AMCC-leading seventh victory of the season.
Spina went 6 for 7 with 3 RBIs, 3 runs, and 2 stolen bases. Melendez had 4 RBIs and scored 3 times while Professori had 4 RBIs and 3 runs. Trickett and Hoffman both scored three runs.