PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia University baseball team pulled off a sweep of USciences in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) doubleheader, 2-1 and 7-4, Saturday afternoon on Richie Ashburn Field.

Philadelphia improves its overall record to 12-17 and evens its CACC mark at 6-6. USciences is now 5-25 overall and 3-11 in the CACC.

GAME ONE
Junior right fielder Ken McCormick (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) was responsible for brining in both of Philadelphia's runs in the opening game.

In the third inning, McCormick reached base safely thanks to a two-out error by the Devils' Matt Miniconzi. The error allowed junior third baseman Hunter Greenwood (Salisbury, Md./James M. Bennett) to score from second and tie the game at one.

The game remained deadlocked until the top of the seventh when McCormick came up with a sacrifice fly to right that plated sophomore starting pitcher/designated hitter Fernando Garza (Laredo, Texas/Alexander) to put the Rams in front, 2-1.

Junior pitcher David Lerro (Secane, Pa./Upper Darby) and senior pitcher Joseph Capparelli (Miami, Fla./Sunset) combined to throw four scoreless and hitless innings of relief to help the Rams earn the win.

Lerro came in for Garza in the sixth and fanned three over three innings of work to record the win (1-4). He allowed just one walk in the eighth inning.

Capparelli turned in a perfect ninth for his second save of the year.

Senior center fielder Rick Reigner (Havertown, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) and Greenwood had two hits each for Philadelphia.

USciences took a 1-0 lead on a two-out RBI double by Trevor Datz to score Dylan McHaffie—who was 2-for-3 in the game—in the second inning.

Patrick Hiester allowed two runs on four hits and recorded one strikeout in seven innings in a losing effort.

GAME TWO
Philadelphia used a four-run eighth inning to snap a three-all tie and take the nightcap.

Garza got the eighth off to a fast start with a triple, his second of the season. Senior left fielder Shane Yoshiyama (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) came up next and brought Garza home with a RBI single and gave the Rams a 4-3 lead.

With runners at the corners and one out, senior first baseman Jordan Force (East Greenville, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) singled to plate Yoshiyama to extend the lead to 5-3.

After the Rams scored run number six on an error, senior catcher TJ Burgmann (Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle College HS) drove in Force with a single to make it a 7-3 affair.

The Devils got an unearned run back in the ninth inning thanks to an error.

Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead when Reigner singled to open the second and later scored on a wild pitch.

The gap grew to 3-0 in the third on a RBI double by Garza and a RBI groundout by McCormick.

USciences plated three runs in the home half of the sixth to tie the score at three. McHaffie drove in the Devils' first run with a single. Two batters later, Connor Lennox came up with the game-tying two-out single that scored Mark Gervasi and McHaffie.

Garza, Yoshiyama, Reigner, and Force paced the Philadelphia 12-hit attack with two hits each. Gervasi, Miniconzi, and Lennox recorded two hits apiece for the Devils.

Junior pitcher Stephen Dickerson (Columbus, Ohio/Danbury) threw a perfect seventh and eighth inning to record the win (2-3). Junior Cory Dean went the first six, striking out three and giving up three runs—two earned—on eight hits.

John McConville gave up five runs on eight hits over the first seven innings and took the loss for the Devils.

Philadelphia returns to action with a home game against West Chester on Thursday, April 17 at 3 p.m. The non-conference doubleheader against Kutztown on April 13 was postponed because of a scheduling conflict.