WASHINGTON, Pa. (Feb. 23) – The Wheeling University baseball team scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to rally for a 6-5 win over California University of Pennsylvania in the final game of a three-game series Sunday afternoon at Wild Things Park.
 
THE MATCHUP

• Final Score: Wheeling 6, Cal U 5
• Records: Wheeling 3-2 | Cal U 2-1
• Location: Wild Things Park | Washington, Pennsylvania

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Vulcans got out to an early lead in the first as the first four batters got on base by either a walk or hit by pitch.
• Cal U got on the scoreboard first with the help of a wild pitch and scored three more runs in the first to take an early 4-0 lead.
• The Cardinals were able to get on the board in the top of the fifth when Garth Charlton (Cambridge, Ohio/Cambridge) drew a lead-off walk and came around to score on a Jack Skantze (Clearwater, Fla./Countryside) triple to left center.
• Cal U answered right back in the bottom part of the inning with a home run that rebuilt the Vulcan lead to 5-1.
• Wheeling battled back in the top of the sixth with two outs. Junior Anthony May (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Charles W. Baker) drew a walk, stole second and scored on a RBI-single by Charlie Varriano (Greensburg, Pa. / Hempfield) to make the score 5-2.
• Charlton came up next and delivered a double down the right field line to score Varriano and cut Cal U's lead to 5-3.
• The score remained 5-3 until the top of the ninth.
• Skantze walked to lead off the inning and start the rally. Senior third baseman Luis Dominguez (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) followed that with a single to bring up Chris Iazzetta (Clinton, N.J. / IMG Academy), who drew a walk to load the bases.
• A wild pitch scored Skantze and moved Dominguez and Iazzetta into scoring position with no outs.
• A walk loaded the bases back up, but two strikeouts had the Vulcans one out away from the a three-game sweep.
• Charlton came up to the plate with the game on the line and drilled a single though the right side of the infield to score Dominguez and Iazetta to give Wheeling a 6-5 lead.
• After allowing the leadoff runner to reach safely, the Cardinals turned to Nick Luciano (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area) to close out the game. Luciano got the next three Vulcan hitters out to earn the save for Wheeling's third victory of the year.

GAME NOTES

• Junior pitcher Albert Baez (Fort Worth, Texas / Timber Creek) registered his first win the season and first as a Cardinal. Baez threw a scoreless eighth inning of relief to help earn the Cardinals the victory.
• Dominguez led the Cardinals offensive attack by registering three hits and two doubles, while scoring one run.
• Charlton drove in three runs including the game winning RBIs. 

UP NEXT

• The Cardinals will head to Glenville, West Virginia for the PSAC-MEC Crossover at Glenville State where they will take on Clarion University on Friday February 28.
• The contest is slated to begin at 9:30 a.m.