PITTSBURGH – Point Park jumped out to an early lead but couldn't hold off a late push from Indiana (Pa.), falling 5-3 in a non-conference matchup Tuesday afternoon at Greentree Park.
The Pioneers came out aggressively at the plate in the opening inning. Trevor Jones battled through a 2-2 count and lined a single through the left side for the game's first hit. After swiping second, he came around to score on a Blake Ewing single to center, giving Point Park a 1-0 advantage after one.
That lead held until the third inning, when the Crimson Hawks capitalized on miscues. Alex Vansickle drew a leadoff walk and advanced on a wild pitch before moving to third on an errant pickoff attempt. He would score on a Ricardo Aponte groundout, tying the game at one.
The Crimson Hawls took their first lead in the fourth against the Pioneer bullpen. David Kessler doubled down the left field line to open the inning and later scored on a Johnathan Simpson single up the middle, putting the Crimson Hawks ahead 2-1.
IUP add another in the fifth as Aponte would score after he doubled down the left field line and would score on a Camden Rhude double and the Crimson Hawks would lead 3-1 after four and a half innings.
Point Park remained within striking distance and broke through again in the seventh. Luis Gonzalez led off with a single, and Carlos de la Vega followed with a base hit in his first at-bat of the game, moving Gonzalez to third. Nicholas Briones delivered with an RBI infield single, trimming the deficit to 3-2.
Any momentum was quickly halted in the bottom half of the inning. With Manny Garcia on the mound, IUP strung together timely hits. Michael Kramer and Vansickle each reached base, and both advanced on a fielding error. Carter Kirsch then came through with a two-run single up the middle, extending the lead to 5-2.
The Pioneers made one final push in the ninth. De la Vega led off with a single, and after a flyout, Felix Gonzalez reached and advanced on an error, putting runners in scoring position. Sebastian Hernandez brought a run home with a groundout, cutting the deficit to 5-3 and bringing the tying run to the plate.
Chris Williams worked a two-out walk to keep the rally alive, but with two on and two out, Indiana reliever Nathan Porath got Trevor Jones to foul out in foul territory to end the game.
Jones and de la Vega each collected two hits to lead the Pioneers, while Ewing, Briones, and Hernandez accounted for the team's three RBIs.
Addison Clymer (1-0) earned the win for Indiana (Pa.) with 1.2 innings of hitless relief, striking out two. Porath picked up his second save, allowing one unearned run over the final inning. Joey Tedesco (2-2) was charged with the loss for Point Park after allowing two runs over two innings.
IUP gets the season split after falling to Point Park earlier this season. The Crimson Hawks move to 24-17 on the season and Point Park falls to 25-15.
UP NEXT
Point Park heads into a key MEC North Division series this weekend against Wheeling. Although designated as the road team, the four-game set will be played at familiar EQT Park in Washington, Pa. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Friday, with postseason positioning on the line.
