BUTLER, Pa. (May 8) – Facing one of the top teams in the country, the Vulcans used seven different pitchers and surrendered four homers in a 22-4 loss to Millersville in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament on Sunday afternoon at Kelly Automotive Park.
With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania baseball team falls to 26-21 overall and will play an elimination game tomorrow, Monday, May 9, when it faces Seton Hill at 9:30 a.m. Meanwhile, the defending-league champion Marauders improve to 45-4 this season and will face East Stroudsburg in the winner's bracket tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.
Senior center fielder
Mick Fennell (Butler, Pa./Butler) tied the all-time school record for runs scored and moved into a tie for second place on the school's all-time hit list. The PSAC West Athlete of the Year is now tied with former All-American outfielder
Sam DiMatteo (2007-10) for first place in school history with 175 runs scored. Fennell also tied DiMatteo for second place in school history with 223 career hits, which is just one hit shy of the all-time record that was set in last year's PSAC Tournament.
In the top of the first, Fennell led off the game with a triple to right-center field and then scored on an RBI single by junior shortstop
Danny McGrath (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional). With the triple, Fennell moved into a tie for second place in NCAA Division II history with 27 career triples, which is also the most triples among active players in all NCAA divisions.
The Marauders answered in the third by batting around and scoring seven runs, including six with two outs. Millersville added two runs in the fourth and scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth to stretch the lead to 13-1.
In the top of the sixth, Fennell led off the inning with a walk before advancing to second when McGrath reached on an error. Junior first baseman
Chris Wastchak (Peters Twp., Pa./Peters Township) then posted an RBI single before advancing to third on a fielding error that also allowed McGrath to score from first. The Marauders countered with six runs in the bottom of the inning after batting around for the third time in the game.
Millersville stretched the lead to 22-3 in the eighth after belting back-to-back-to-back solo homers. In the ninth, the Vulcans scored the final run of the game when junior catcher
Joe Yourgal (Millersville, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) reached on a bases-loaded hit by pitch.
Senior starter
Jack Dennis (Toronto, Ontario/Birchmount Park) suffered the loss to fall to 7-4 this season after being roughed up for seven runs (all earned) on seven hits and two walks in 2.2 innings (68 pitches). He is now tied with Stan Oleski (1977-80) for fifth place in school history with 220.0 innings pitched over 42 career appearances. Millersville starter Brandon Miller (10-1), who is the PSAC East Co-Pitcher of the Year, earned the win after allowing two runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks over 6.0 innings (94 pitches).
The Marauders pounded out 18 hits in the victory with six players recording multi-hit games. Two-time All-PSAC East First-Team first baseman Dan Stoltzfus finished with a staggering nine RBI.
Cal U returns to action in the PSAC Tournament tomorrow when it plays Seton Hill in an elimination game at 9:30 a.m. The teams split both doubleheaders during the regular season and are meeting in the league tournament for the second-straight year.
