PITTSBURGH -- Point Park University baseball split a pair of one-run ballgames with visiting Indiana University Kokomo on Friday from Point Park Field at Green Tree Park. Both games had the same score with the Pioneers (31-11, 17-6 RSC) winning the opener, 2-1, and then IU Kokomo (23-17, 11-9 RSC) taking the nightcap, 2-1.
In each game, the winning team hit a key home run and had a couple of pitchers combine on a dominating performance from the mound. In the first game, it was Point Park's Nicholas Beardsley and Ruben Ramirez combining to strike out 21 batters and Carlos Sanchez delivering a two-run homer to power the Pioneers to victory.
In the second game, IU Kokomo had starter Renton Poole and reliever Eston Stull combine on a seven-inning no-hitter, and Noah Hurlock's solo homer in the fourth proved to be the difference.
Beardsley continued to pile up the strikeouts in his 10th start on the year. The senior from Torrance, Calif., racked up 14 Ks in just six innings on Friday. He struck out the side in the second, third, fourth and six innings. Sanchez's two run-shot in the bottom half of the inning made a winner out of Beardsley.
That's because Ramirez came in to pitch the seventh, eighth and ninth to hammer down his eighth save of the year. Ramirez picked up right where Beardsley left off striking out seven and retiring the first six batters he faced.
Trailing, 2-1, IU Kokomo got a lead-off triple from Jack Leverenz in the top of the ninth. The Pioneers had to bring the infield in to guard the lead. Ramirez got the next batter when he snagged a hard liner back to the mound. He struck out the next two hitters to leave the tying run stranded.
IU Kokomo scored its only run in the top of the first. But the Cougars left the bases loaded, the first of of two straight innings doing so. The Cougars also left two in the third as they missed their chance to get Beardsley early.
Ryan Huber got the start for Point Park in game two. He pitched into the seventh inning but was saddled with the loss on six hits and two runs. He struck out six and walked none.
IU Kokomo took a 1-0 lead in the second when Leverenz tagged up from third on a foul out to the catcher. Leverenz won a foot race to the plate after the catch by Luis Mujica as nobody covered home.
Hurlock's homer came in the fourth for a 2-0 lead.
Meanwhile Poole was cruising along, and he did not give up a hit in his six innings of work. The Cougars did make five errors behind him, and Poole issued one walk as the Pioneers had their share of base runners.
The no-hitter kept going, even through the bottom of the fourth when three infield error's and Mujica's sacrifice fly cut it to 2-1. But the Pioneers could not get the key hit as they left runners on in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Poole finished out his outing stranding runners at second and third in the sixth.
Poole struck out eight, and Stull worked around a lead-off walk in the seventh to strike out the side and end the game.
The series will be decided on Saturday with the final game. First pitch is 12 p.m. at Point Park Field.
