PITTSBURGH, PA - The Point Park baseball team was able to extend its season-long win streak to seven games with two great pitching performances and a walk-off victory. Point Park defeated the Cardinals 4-3 and 4-0.
Point Park improves to 8-2 at home with their 80% winning percentage at home being the highest in the MEC. The Pioneers improved to 32-11 on the year and are the first team in the MEC to reach 20 conference wins as they are now 20-6 in conference play.
Game 1
The first game of the two featured a back-and-forth pitching duel and a walk-off victory on senior day at Point Park Field. Senior pitcher
Javier Cardoso II made his team-leading 10th start of the season.
The game remained scoreless through the first three innings until Wheeling notched their first run in the top of the fourth, taking the first lead of the game.
Point Park had only two hits going into the bottom of the sixth inning, both coming from
Omar Morillo, whose 56 hits this season lead Point Park and rank fourth in the MEC.
Point Park turned to the long ball to make a comeback as
Crixtian Taveras hit his sixth home run of the year (second most on Point Park) to tie the game at one apiece heading into the seventh inning.
Cardoso II was still in the game when he surrendered two more runs to Wheeling, allowing them to regain the lead heading into Point Park's final three outs, down 3-1.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Pioneers rallied as
Luis Gonzalez reached on a fielding error and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Jordan Campbell then stepped up to the plate and tied the game with a two-run home run; he has now homered in two of the last three games.
With the score tied at 3-3, Morillo recorded his third hit of the game—a walk-off home run—to secure a 4-3 victory. The Pioneers scored three runs with two outs. Morillo has been one of Point Park's hottest hitters in his last four games, going 8-for-18 with two three-hit performances, batting .348 on the season.
All three of Point Park's home runs came from seniors Gonzalez, Jordan Campbell, and Morillo. Point Park leads the MEC in home runs with 51.
Cardoso II, finished the day with the win, his seventh of the year (second most in the MEC). He has pitched back-to-back complete games, dating back to his last start on 4/18 in an 8-2 victory over Frostburg State. Cardoso finished the day with seven innings pitched, allowing three hits, two earned runs, and striking out five batters.
Cardoso II has struck out five batters in a game for the third time this season. In his last three starts, he has pitched 19 innings and allowed only four earned runs across that span, leading the Pioneers to victory in all three of those outings.
Game 2
The second game of the doubleheader featured another pitching gem, this time by sophomore
Harold Boyce from Los Angeles, California.
The scoring in game two didn't begin until the fourth inning, when one team finally broke through. The Pioneers showed discipline at the plate, drawing two walks to start the inning.
Isaac Santana led off with his 28th walk of the season (first on Point Park), followed by a walk from
Chris Williams.
A groundout advanced the runners to second and third, setting the stage for
Trevor Jones, who hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Santana and giving Point Park a 1-0 lead.
Point Park tagged three more runs in the fifth inning. Jordan Campbell started the inning off with a single, extending his season-long hit streak to six games.
With one out, Taveras followed with a single of his own, extending his hit streak to a season-long seven games—the team's current longest active hit streak.
Jared Campbell was walked, and both Taveras and Jordan Campbell advanced on the base paths as Jordan Campbell scored on a wild pitch, making it 2-0.
With runners on the corners, Santana grounded out to first base, allowing Taveras to score and picking up his 37th RBI of the year.
Jared Campbell remained at second for Williams at the plate with Campbell scoring on a fielding error, making it 4-0.
Four runs were all the Pioneers needed in this contest. Boyce delivered his best pitching performance of the season, throwing his second complete game while allowing zero runs, four hits, and a season-high nine strikeouts. His ERA is now 3.89, the sixth lowest in the MEC.
Point Park drew five walks in the game, and when they record five or more walks, they are 13-2 on the season.
Point Park will continue the series against Wheeling on Monday afternoon at Point Park Field. The doubleheader is slated to start at 1:00 p.m. in Green Tree Park.
