INDIANA, Pa. – Ten home runs, 37 hits, and 36 combined runs highlighted a wild, high-scoring contest as Point Park outlasted Indiana (Pa.), 20–16, on Tuesday afternoon.
Point Park wasted no time getting on the board. Chris Williams led off with a single down the right-field line, and Carlos de la Vega was hit by a pitch before Blake Ewing launched a three-run home run—his ninth of the season—to give the Pioneers a 3–0 lead before Indiana could record an out.
Ewing stayed hot in the second inning, driving in two more runs as Williams and de la Vega scored again, pushing the lead to 5–0.
Indiana responded in the bottom of the second with three runs. Davis Kessler and Anthony Annichine opened the inning with singles, and both advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Michael Kramer brought in the first run with a sacrifice fly, and a pair of errors allowed Annichine to score. Ricardo Aponte added an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5–3.
The Pioneers answered immediately with a big third inning. Felix Gonzalez hit his second home run of the season, and after a single by Nicholas Briones chased the starting pitcher, Williams doubled to center to score Briones. De la Vega followed with an RBI double, and Olindo Pezzone capped the inning with his 10th home run of the season, giving Point Park a 10–3 lead.
After a scoreless third inning from Indiana, F. Gonzalez struck again in the fourth with his second home run of the game, extending the lead to 11–3.
Indiana began to chip away in the fifth, as Camden Rhude hit a home run to cut the deficit. However, Point Park exploded again in the sixth inning. With two outs and the bases loaded, Sebastian Hernandez delivered a bases-clearing triple to push the lead to 14–4. Pezzone followed with his second home run of the game—his 11th of the season—making it 16–4.
Indiana answered in the bottom of the sixth, as Aponte recorded his 100th career RBI with a double, scoring Carter Kirsch and making it 16–5.
With the game requiring nine innings, Indiana mounted a major comeback in the seventh. Kessler hit a two-run home run, and after two batters were hit by pitches and the bases were loaded, Aponte crushed a grand slam—his fifth home run of the season—to bring the Crimson Hawks within five at 16–11.
After a quiet eighth inning, Point Park added insurance in the ninth. F. Hernandez singled, Pezzone followed with a hit, and Luis Gonzalez drove in a run with an RBI single. A wild pitch and a bases-loaded walk added two more runs, and Briones capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly, giving the Pioneers a 20–11 lead.
Indiana made one final push in the bottom of the ninth. Kramer hit his first career home run, a two run shot, and Rhude added his second home run of the game, a three-run shot, to cut the lead to 20–16. IUP had the tying run in the whole but Kessler flew out to end the game.
Joey Tedesco earned the win for Point Park, improving to 1–0 after pitching one inning. Noah Jordan started, going two innings while allowing three runs (one earned) and striking out four. The Pioneers used multiple relievers to close out the game.
Brandon May (0-2) took the loss for Indiana, allowing seven runs on nine hits in his start.
Offensively, Williams led the way for Point Park, going a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs scored and an RBI. Franklin Gomez Jr. went 3-for-3, while Pezzone and Ewing each drove in four runs.
For Indiana, Rhude went 4-for-6 with two home runs and four RBIs, while Aponte finished 3-for-5 with a grand slam and six RBIs.
With the win, Point Park improves to 16–9, while Indiana falls to 12–12.
UP NEXT
Point Park returns home this weekend to host Fairmont State for a four-game series. The series begins Friday at 1:00 p.m. at EQT Park, home of the Washington Wild Things. Games three and four will be played Saturday at the same time.
