BETHANY, W.Va. – The 20th-ranked Thiel College baseball team stayed hot Tuesday afternoon, as they swept the Bethany Bison in a Presidents' Athletic Conference twin bill to up its league record to 5-0. Thiel won the first contest 10-5, and then tightened up the defense to take the day cap, 9-0.

The Tomcats return to action on Wednesday when they host Mount Union at 3 p.m.

 

Thiel used a five-run sixth inning to push its lead to ten, then held off a late Bison rally to earn a, 10-5, win over Bethany in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader.

The Tomcats manufactured two runs in the top of the first and scored three more in the fourth while Thiel starting pitcher Josh Tedesco (Campbell, Ohio/Ursuline) took care of the bottom half of each inning. The lefty shut-out the Bison through the game's first five frames.

Thiel's big inning began with four straight singles by Luke Johnson (Rochester, Pa./Rochester), Jake Thomas (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson), Matt Stumpf (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto Rox), and Andrew Howard (Olney, Md./Sherwood). Howard's base knock scored Johnson and Thomas in addition to chasing the Bethany starting pitcher.

Bison reliever Jake Staebler retired the first batter he faced before Justin Scarpitti (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep.) stepped in and delivered a three-run bomb to right-centerfield. 

Bethany managed five runs –four of which were unearned – over the next two innings on three hits and three errors.

Tedesco, who moved to 4-0 on the season, allowed one earned run on five hits over seven innings of work.

Howard and Dave Nypaver paced Thiel's 18-hit onslaught, each putting together three-hit games. Howard and Johnson each scored a team-high two runs.

 

Thiel rode an error-free defense and a complete-game three-hitter by starting pitcher Josh Russell (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) to win its sixth game in a row via a, 9-0, drubbing of Bethany to complete the doubleheader sweep.

Russell (1-1) allowed just four Bison base-runners in the game, while striking out four. No Bethany runner advanced beyond second base in the contest.

Offensively, Thiel was the model of efficiency, scoring nine runs on nine hits. 

DH Chris Dunham (Conneaut Lake, Pa./Linesville) paced the 'Cats with two hits and three RBI. Leftfielder Luke Johnson (Rochester, Pa./Rochester) also collected two hits.

Catcher Andrew Howard (Olney, Md./Sherwood), shortstop Chad Ulogar (Willoughby, Ohio/South), and first baseman Justin Scarpitti (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep.) each scored two runs in the winning effort.