Sunday, March 18, 2012

STRUTHERS, Ohio - The Westminster College baseball team continued to show that they can play with tough competition as they finished its four-game series at Bob Cene Park on Sunday. The Titans split with St. John Fisher in a non-conference doubleheader. St. John Fisher was receiving national ranking votes.

The Titans won game one 2-1 and lost game two 9-0. Westminster goes to 8-6 overall, while the Cardinals go to 10-3.

Westminster senior pitcher Patrick Mulligan (Brookfield, OH / Brookfield) got the win in game one. Mulligan pitched a complete game, while giving up one earned run off 5 hits. He struck out three batters and walked one.

Senior catcher David Schafer (Hermitage, PA / Hickory) made an impact behind the plate as he picked off Peter Krysztof and Ben Bostick in the game. Krysztof and Bostick were 13-14 and 16-16, respectively, in stolen bases-stolen base attempts on the year.

Leading the Titan offense was junior Chris Ross (West Pittsburg, PA / New Castle) who went 2-for-3 at the plate with one run. Senior Ethan Yeager (Pottstown, PA / Owen J. Roberts) and Junior Tyler Robinson (Creston, PA / Norwayne) contributed with an RBI apiece.

The Cardinals threatened in the top of the 2nd inning when Ben Ward hit a triple to left field. After the next Cardinal batter was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners, Mulligan forced St. John Fisher to pop out to end the inning.

Westminster scored all of its runs in the bottom of the second. With one out, Yeager started the offensive surge with an RBI triple to left center to give the Titans a 1-0 lead; Ross scored on the play. Robinson earned an RBI ground out, bringing home Yeager, for the eventual game-winning run.

The Cardinals scored their lone run in the top of the third off a sacrifice fly.

In the nightcap, the Cardinals scored three runs in the top of the second to take the lead. Brad Rush had an RBI double, followed by a two-run RBI single off the bat of Steve Karnyski.  St. John Fisher added one more run in the fourth, fifth, and the sixth inning before adding three runs in the seventh.

Westminster had the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning after three-straight singles, however the Cardinals' pitcher Justin D'Amato struck out the next two batters to end the inning.

Westminster is back in action on Friday as it opens Presidents' Athletic Conference play. The Titans host Thiel (5-6) at 4:00 p.m. for a nine inning game. On Saturday, the Titans will travel to Thiel for a doubleheader.

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, a top-tier liberal arts college, ranks third in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Best Colleges guide. Westminster ranked 6th among liberal arts colleges in social mobility, 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 376 Colleges" 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 42 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.