Thursday, March 17, 2011

FORT PIERCE, Fla. - The Westminster College baseball team is off to its best start in 16 years as the Titans improved to 8-0 on the season by sweeping a doubleheader against Franciscan Thursday in Fort Pierce, Fla. The Titans won the first game, 8-6, before winning the second game, 6-5, on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Titans' 8-0 start is the team's best since the 1995 team started its season 12-0 and finished 20-8 without playing a week of games in Florida. Franciscan is now 1-7.

Sophomore Kyle Allen (New Wilmington, Pa./West Middlesex) provided the game-winning hit in the second game. Junior Bud Main (Ellwood City, Pa./Riverside) bunted senior Rick DeBlasio (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) to second base and Allen hit a two-out single to score DeBlasio from second base for the game-winner.

Allen finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Main was 2-for-3 and junior David Schafer (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory) batted 2-for-3 to lead the Titan offense in game two.

Freshman pitcher Nick Grow (North East, Pa./North East) started the game by pitching six innings with five runs (4 earned) off five hits and two walks to go with seven strikeouts. Sophomore Liam Halferty (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) got the win by pitching a scoreless top of the seventh inning with one strikeout and one hit.

Halferty also picked up the win in the first game with two innings, four hits, two runs, two strikeouts and no walks.

Junior Andy Wallen (Erie, Pa./Iroquois) started game one, striking out two and going 3 2/3 innings with four runs off seven hits and two walks.

Junior Adam Carter (Oil City, Pa./Oil City) led the Titan offense in game one by going 3-for-3 with a homer and two singles. His two-run homer in the fourth inning tied the game at 4-4.

Sophomore Eric Dunn (Sarver, Pa./Freeport), who went 2-for-2, scored the go-ahead run the fourth inning as he doubled and reached home on a single by Main, who went 2-for-4 in the first game.

Westminster will look to go a perfect 10-0 in Florida as the Titans play Centenary (N.J.) on Friday for a doubleheader beginning at 8:45 a.m.

About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College ranks first in the nation as "Best College for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math," according to Forbes.com. Westminster is a top tier liberal arts college, a national leader in graduation rate performance, and a "Great School, Great Price," according to U.S. News Best Colleges guide. Westminster ranked 38th among liberal arts colleges, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 373 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.

Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus. Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.