The baseball team came out in dominant fashion this weekend against River State Conference (RSC) rival Midway University this weekend, sweeping the Eagles in a three game series. After a lost series to ranked Indiana University Southeast last week, and a canceled series against Lourdes University, the Pioneers didn’t miss a beat against Midway, raising their record to 27-9 and 15-3 in conference this season. The wins help push the Pioneers into a tie for first with IU-Southeast in the RSC, but with a better record outside the conference, the Pioneers stand atop the RSC. 

Game one against the Midway Eagles would be on Friday, April 15, with the Pioneers playing at WildThings Park in Washington, Pennsylvania, due to the inclimate weather making their home field unplayable. Point Park would strike early, with a run in the bottom of the first inning off the bat of freshman outfielder Jared Campbell, who grounded out to second base but was able to score junior infielder Luis Hernandez, who found his way home after a walk and two stolen bases. 

No one would score again until the bottom of the fifth inning, where senior utilityman Gianmarco Marcelletti came up to the plate with the bases loaded. Marcelletti would smack a clutch double to unload the bases, putting the Pioneers up 4-0, before senior outfielder Ed Pfluger would score him as well with an RBI triple to put up four in the inning. Senior catcher Luis Mujica hit a sac fly in the bottom of the seventh for an insurance run to put the Pioneers ahead 6-0, which would end as the final score after nine innings. 

Junior starter Easton Klein would get the start on the mound, going six innings while giving up only four hits and no runs while striking out five, although his four walks would keep him from being able to go deep into his dominant performance. A combined relief effort of sophomore John Hawley,  junior Jose Moreno, and freshman Javier Cardoso would only allow two hits only over the final three innings, preserving the shutout for Klein. Hernandez would go two-for-three with two runs and two walks, getting on base all but one time in his five plate appearances while also collecting two stolen bases. 

Game two on Saturday, April 16, was an offensive showing for the Pioneers, with Midway scoring one in the top of the first before Marcelletti and Pfluger would both single to score three runs in the bottom half of the inning and put Point Park ahead 3-1. The Pioneers tacked onto their lead with a two run shot off the bat of junior first baseman Ty Andrews, making it a 5-1 ball game. Midway finally responded with a single run in the top of the seventh, but Point Park scored three more in the bottom half of the inning. Senior infielder Carlos Sanchez would smack a two run double, and senior infielder Edwin De La Rosa would leg out a fielder’s choice to allow Sanchez to score making it 8-2. The Pioneers would tack on two more in the bottom of the eighth, with Andrews scoring on an error by the catcher and a sac fly by sophomore infielder Isaac Santana to go up 10-2. Another single run in the ninth by Midway was the final run scored, ending at 10-3 in a Point Park victory. 

Senior starter Jonathan Pacheco would toe the rubber for game two, going six-and-a-third innings while giving up six hits and two runs (one earned), while striking out three in the victory. Cordoso would finish off the seventh, with Moreno shutting down the eighth before sophomore Kenneth Rolon would finish off the opposition. Andrews went three-for-four in the contest, picking up two runs and two RBI’s in the offensive showing. Sanchez would also go two-for-four with a run and two RBI’s to his name. 

Game three was the second game of a double header on Saturday, with another shutout in the eyes of the Pioneers in the seven inning contest. Point Park’s offense continued to roll, putting up three runs in the first inning alone thanks to RBI singles by Campbell and Mujica, as well as Campbell scoring on a wild pitch. Two more runs in the bottom of the second thanks to two more singles off the bat of Campbell and Marcelletti would help put the Pioneers up 5-0 after two innings of play. Hernandez would score in the bottom of the fourth after taking a walk, stealing two bases, and finally arriving at home after an error by the catcher to put Point Park up 6-0 after four innings. In the bottom of the sixth, freshman infielder J.M. Fay, in just his fifth at-bat this season, would score sophomore Carlos Burroughs on a fielder’s choice to put the Pioneers ahead 7-0, which would be the final score of the contest. 

Sophomore pitcher Joathan Rivera got the nod in game three, throwing an outstanding five innings while only allowing two hits and three walks while knocking down seven strikeouts in the victory. Cordoso came in for the sixth inning relief, and senior closer Leo Diaz closed out the game in the seventh with a strikeout to sweep the Eagles in style. Hernandez went for a perfect two-for-two, with a walk, double, triple, and two stolen bases to his name as an absolute menace on the base paths. He also collected three runs under his belt in the game. Campbell would went two-for-three with two runs and two RBI’s to his name. 

Point Park will look to continue their winning streak with a home doubleheader against Lourdes University this Wednesday, April 20. The week will end with a three game home series against a RSC rival, the University of Rio Grande, on Friday, April 22, and Saturday, April 23. The Team will end their home stand with a doubleheader against Siena Heights University on Tuesday, April 26. All of these home games will be available to stream through the Point Park Athletics website.