GREENVILLE, Pa. (March 24) -- The Thiel College Baseball team dropped a pair of tight Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchups with RV Washington and Jefferson College Tuesday from Tomcat Park.
The Tomcats fall to 3-13 (1-3) while the Presidents rise to 13-2 (4-0) with wins of 8-6 in game one and 8-3 in the nightcap.
Game 1: Thiel 6, RV W&J 8
The Presidents carried an 8-3 lead into the seventh before
Jack Fickes (Jeromesville, Ohio/Hillsdale) opened the bottom of the frame with a single and
Colton Brightwell (Eighty Four, Pa./Bentworth) followed with a double to put runners at first and second. Fickes came home on a ground out before
Calvin Cackowski (Wickliffe, Ohio/Wickliffe) raked a 2-run shot to straight-away center to make it 8-6.
The Cats had the go-ahead run on base in the eighth as they loaded the bases with one out but were unable to capitalize. The Thiel bats went quitely in the ninth to spell the 8-6 final.
Cackowski finished with a pair of hits and RBIs each while Fickes had his most solid performance of the year, going 3-for-4 with a run. Brightwell added a hit, run and walk each.Â
Thiel took advantage of a pair of W&J errors in the second to jump ahead 2-1. The Presidents answered with a pair of runs in the third and fourth innings along with a run in each of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
Brady Rzodkiewicz (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) started for Thiel recorded a career-high-tying five strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work. He ultimately was tagged with the loss, falling to 1-5.
JT Gerle (Ambridge, Pa./Ambridge) worked two scoreless innings of relief with a strikeout.
Game 2: Thiel 3, RV W&J 8
The visitors jumped to a 5-0 lead after three innings.
Isaiah Torres (Berea, Ohio/Berea-Midpark) came on in relief and held the Presidents offense in check through a career-most 4.2 innings as he allowed just 1 earned run.
The Thiel offense came alive in the bottom of the sixth as a Cackowski RBI double off the right-field wall along with a pair of RBI walks from
Zach Smith (Steubenville, Ohio/Steubenville) and
Cole Sherwin (Karns City, Pa./Karns City)Â made it 6-3.
W&J plated 2 in the eighth to make it 6-3. The Blue and Gold loaded the bases in the ninth, putting the tying run on deck, but were unable to make any magic happen.
Cackowski logged a hit, run and RBI each. Brightwell reached base three times with two hits and a walk to go with a run scored. While only managing three hits, the Cats drew seven free passes as Sherwin had a pair.
Mason Suss (Monongahela, Pa./Ringgold) started for Thiel and took the loss, falling to 0-3, as he had a strikeout in 2.1 innings of work.
David Medich (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) notched a pair of scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
Looking Ahead
Thiel has a quick turnaround as they will take on La Roche tomorrow at 2 p.m. in a home single-nine-inning affair.Â
