PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia University baseball team picked up a split of its Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) doubleheader against Post University Saturday afternoon on Alumni Field. After dropping game one 4-2, the Rams bounced back for a 3-1 victory in the second game.

GAME ONE
Don Crook led the Eagles (13-15-1, 7-6 CACC) to the victory in the opener as he surrendered just two runs on five hits in 8.2 innings of work. Crook (4-1)—who threw 139 pitches—fanned eight and walked six.

Philadelphia (13-19, 7-7 CACC) used small ball to take a 1-0 lead in the home half of the third. Senior catcher TJ Burgmann (Philadelphia, Pa./La Salle College HS) started the frame off with a walk and moved up 90 feet on sacrifice bunts by junior third baseman Hunter Greenwood (Salisbury, Md./James M. Bennett) and senior left fielder Shane Yoshiyama (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School). Sophomore starting pitcher Fernando Garza (Laredo, Texas/Alexander) made the moves payoff, delivering a two-out RBI single to center.

Post came back a half-inning later with four runs in the fourth to grab a 4-1 lead. With Julien Casaubon and Alex Beland on-base via walks, Eduardo Familia ripped to triple to center to bring in both runners home for the Eagles' first two runs. Familia came home two pitches later when Garza uncorked a wild pitch. After Drew Deangelis reached on an error, Jeff St. Pierre hit a double to right-center to plate Deangelis for the fourth run of the inning.

The Rams got a run back in the fifth when Casaubon mishandled a ground ball hit by junior right fielder Ken McCormick (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury), allowing Greenwood to score from third to make the score 4-2.

Philadelphia put together a two-out threat to tie the score in the ninth inning. Garza kept the game alive by singling to left on a 3-2. Then, sophomore shortstop Hector Gonzalez (Laredo, Texas/United) walked a four-pitch walk to chase Crook from the game.

Garza and Gonzalez both moved up one base when Beland was unable to hang on to a Mick Terzi offering. Terzi ended the threat and the game by forcing McCormick to ground out to short.

Familia finished game one with a single, double, and a triple, and three RBIs. Casuabon went 3-for-4.

Garza had two of Philadelphia's five hits. He also took the loss (2-1) as he gave up four runs on four hits in 3.1 innings.

GAME TWO
Just like game one, pitching was the story of game two. Junior pitcher Cory Dean (Danbury, Conn./Danbury) turned in a strong eight innings, fanning five while allowing just one run on six hits.

Dean, who threw 101 pitches, left after facing two batters in the ninth, giving up a lead-off single to Casaubon and a RBI ground-rule double to Beland.

Senior reliever Joseph Capparelli (Miami, Fla./Sunset) came in and got Familia to fly out and then walked Deangelis to put the tying run on base. Capparelli ended the Post rally and picked up his third save of the year by striking out Brian McKenna and Kevin Fearon.

The Rams gave Dean all the run support he would need with single runs in the first, third and sixth.

A two-out rally in the first inning allowed the Rams to score their first run. After McCormick extended the inning with a double into the right field corner, senior center fielder Rick Reigner (Havertown, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) dropped a single into right field to plate McCormick.

Two innings later, senior first baseman Jordan Force (East Greenville, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) came through with a one-out single to send Gonzalez, who led off the inning with a double, home for Philadelphia's second run.

Yoshiyama tacked on the team's third run with a two-out single to drive in senior second baseman John Sczepanski (Lafayette Hill, Pa./La Salle College HS) in the sixth.

Behind three hits from Force and two from Yoshiyama, Philadelphia outhit Post 8-6.

Beland was 2-for-4 for Post.

Matt Cambria was the complete-game loser (2-3).

Philadelphia heads to Chestnut Hill for a CACC doubleheader on Wednesday, April 23 at 4 p.m.