W&J wins its 10th PAC baseball championship
CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. – Gavin Rooney and Ryan Sciullo each hit home runs to lead an 18-hit attack as Washington & Jefferson won the Presidents’ Athletic Conference baseball tournament championship with a 17-5 victory over host Thomas More in the decisive game Saturday afternoon.
It is W&J’s 10th PAC championship and secures a spot in the NCAA Division III tournament. W&J’s Ross Memorial Park will be the site of the Mideast Regional, which begins Wednesday and runs through Saturday. Tournament pairings will be announced tonight.
W&J (28-15), which entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed, began Saturday as the only undefeated team in the double-elimination event. Thomas More (30-12), which won two games Friday to avoid elimination, forced the “if necessary” game by defeating W&J 7-4 on an eighth-inning home run in Saturday’s first game.
One day after throwing a complete game in a win over Waynesburg, W&J lefty Jared Baird pitched into the eighth inning in the finale and the Presidents overcame an early three-run deficit with an offensive onslaught.
Thomas More scored three runs in the first inning, but W&J took the lead with a four-run fourth, including two scoring on a single by Sciullo.
The Presidents took control fo the game with a six-run fifth inning to open a 10-4 lead. Nick Vento had a two-run single in the inning.
Rooney and Sciullo helped secure the win in the eighth when each hit home runs. Sciullo’s was a two-run shot and Rooney’s a solo blast.
Rooney went 5-for-6 and ended the game with five consecutive hits. Six Presidents’ had multi-hit games. Sciullo had a team-leading four RBI.
Baird gave up 11 hits and five runs (one earned) but did not issue a walk and struck out five.
Thomas More designated hitter Donovan Pogue smacked a three-run homer with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 4-4 tie and give the Saints the win in the opening game. W&J scored three times in the seventh to tie the score.