ATHENS, W.Va. – Point Park split its weekend series, taking one of two from Concord at Anderson Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Pioneers combined for seven home runs in the doubleheader, with Blake Ewing and Olindo Pezzone each going deep twice in a high-scoring day.
Game 1: Point Park 10, Concord 6
(W: Dimidjian 3-1 | L: Varela-Payne 3-3 | SV: Parker 3)
Point Park wasted no time in Game 1, as the first five batters reached base and all scored in the opening inning. Chris Williams started the rally with a single, and Felix Rodriguez reached on an error to move Williams into scoring position. Olindo Pezzone continued his hot streak with a three-run home run to left-center, giving Point Park an early lead.
Still with no outs, Blake Ewing singled up the middle, and Luis Gonzalez followed with a two-run home run to left for his first of the season, putting the Pioneers ahead 5-0 before Concord recorded an out.
Concord answered in the bottom of the first, as Matthew DiSanti reached on an error and later scored on a Nick DiSanti single to make it 5-1.
The Mountain Lions chipped away in the second and third innings with solo home runs from Tyson Burke and Matthew DiSanti, cutting the deficit to 5-3.
In the fourth, Concord took its first lead of the game. After a hit batter and a two-out single, Dawson Gragg hit a three-run home run to put the hosts ahead 6-5.
Point Park quickly responded. Williams doubled to lead off the fifth, and Pezzone tied the game with an RBI single. Ewing then delivered a two-run home run—his seventh of the season—to give the Pioneers an 8-6 advantage.
The Pioneers added insurance in the sixth when Sebastian Hernandez walked, and Williams launched a two-run homer to left, extending the lead to 10-6.
Camden Dimidjian (3-1) earned the win, pitching four innings and allowing six runs (five earned). Ethan Parker recorded his third save, tossing three scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Kaden Varela-Payne took the loss for Concord, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) over six innings.
Game 2: Concord 13, Point Park 12
(W: Evans 1-0 | L: Griffaton 0-2)
After a scoreless start, Concord struck first in the second inning. Tyson Burke walked and scored on a Sam Stowe double. A fielding error later in the inning allowed two more unearned runs to score, giving Concord a 3-0 lead.
Point Park responded in the third in a big way. Felix Gonzalez led off with a solo home run, and later in the inning, Pezzone hit his second homer of the day—a two-run shot—to tie the game at 3-3.
Later in the inning, Ewing walked and Luis Gonzalez drove in a run with a single. Trevor Jones and Carlos De La Vega followed with hits, and Felix Gonzalez capped the inning with a two-run single, giving Point Park a 7-3 lead. De La Vega also drove in a run on his single.
Concord answered in the third and fourth with solo home runs from Korbin Bostic and Dawson Gragg to cut the PPU lead to 7-5.
In the fifth, the Mountain Lions surged ahead. After loading the bases, they capitalized on defensive miscues and a two-run single from Gragg to take an 8-7 lead.
In the sixth, Point Park regained control. With the bases loaded and two outs, Ewing crushed a grand slam—his fourth home run of the weekend—to give the Pioneers an 11-8 advantage.
But, Concord refused to go away. In the bottom of the sixth, Burke and Stowe each delivered RBI singles to cut the deficit to 11-10.
Point Park added an insurance run in the seventh when Felix Rodriguez singled to score De La Vega, making it 12-10.
However, the lead wouldn't hold. In the bottom of the seventh, Concord loaded the bases and trimmed the lead to one on a sacrifice fly by Matthew DiSanti. With one out and the bases loaded, Nick DiSanti delivered the walk-off, two-run single to center, giving Concord a 13-12 victory and the split.
Ethan Evans (1-0) earned the win in relief, while PPU's Zane Griffaton (0-2) took the loss.
With the split, Point Park moves to 11-8 overall and 5-3 in MEC play. Concord moves to 8-16 overall and 2-4 in conference action.
Up Next
Point Park returns to action Tuesday on the road against non-conference opponent California (PA). The teams will also meet on April 9 at PNC Park. Get your tickets today.
The Pioneers return home this weekend to host Charleston on Saturday and West Virginia State on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., with Game 2 to follow at approximately 4:00 p.m on both days.
