PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia University baseball team picked up a doubleheader sweep of Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) opponent Caldwell Saturday afternoon on Alumni Field. Philadelphia won the first game 2-1 and the nightcap 11-5.

Philadelphia improves to 10-15 overall and evens its conference record at 4-4. The wins are the for fourth-year head coach Pat Horvath against Caldwell.

The Cougars are now 2-15 overall, 0-8 in CACC play.

GAME ONE
Junior pitcher Cory Dean (Danbury, Conn./Danbury) as he turned in a dominate complete-game performance to earn his first win of 2014 (1-3). Dean had a strong command of the strike zone as he threw 115 pitches, 75 for strikes. He fanned a season-high eight batters and walked none, while scattering five hits.

The lone blemish was a solo home run by the Cougars' Joe O'Donnell with two outs in the sixth to make the score 2-1.

Junior designated hitter Ken McCormick (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) gave Dean all the run support he would need with an RBI in the first and third inning. McCormick put the Rams in front 1-0 with a one-out single to center that plated sophomore right fielder Fernando Garza (Laredo, Texas/Alexander). In the third, McCormick grounded out to first to bring Garza from third.

Philadelphia had 10 hits in the opener. Senior second baseman John Sczepanski (Lafayette Hill, Pa./La Salle College High School) was a perfect 3-for-3, while senior left fielder Shane Yoshiyama (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) was 2-for-2.

Paul Nyitray and O'Donnell had two hits each for Caldwell.

The Cougars' Michael Sheridan took the loss (0-3), allowing two runs on seven hits in five innings.

GAME TWO
Philadelphia took control in the late innings with eight runs in its final four innings at the plate to come from behind and take the win.

Trailing 5-3 after Caldwell scored four times in the top of the fifth, Philadelphia responded with four runs in the bottom half of the frame to regain the lead at 7-5.

With two outs and the bases loaded, freshman catcher John Brocious (Bellmawr, N.J./Triton) came through with a single to bring home senior first baseman Jordan Force (East Greenville, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) and Sczepanski to tie the game at five. Garza followed with a base hit back through the box to put Philadelphia ahead as freshman third baseman David McTaggart (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth) and Brocious came home.

The Rams tacked on two more runs in the seventh in double the lead to 9-5. After singles by Garza and Yoshiyama opened the inning with singles to put runners at first and third, the Rams successfully pulled off a delayed double steal that allowed Garza to score. Yoshiyama came around on a RBI single by senior center fielder Rick Reigner (Havertown, Pa./Monsignor Bonner).

In the eighth, senior pinch hitter Chris Pelaez (Miami, Fla./Miami-Sunset) doubled to center field to bring home Philadelphia's 10^th run. Senior Ryan Shellock (Blackwood, N.J./Triton) came in to pinch run for Pelaez and scored on an error.

The Rams pounded out a season-high 19 hits, led by a 5-for-6, two-RBI effort by Garza. Sczepanski delievered four hits in five at-bats. Brocious finished with three RBIs.

McCormick was 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to eight games.

Ryan Rivera had a RBI single in the first and fifth innings to lead the Cougars.

Richard Evaniecki, Stephen Dodd, and Alex Rodriguez all had a RBI for Caldwell in its four-run fifth.

Senior reliever Joseph Capparelli (Miami, Fla./Miami-Sunset) earned the win (1-1) with 1.1 scoreless innings of work. He struck out one batter.

Gary Gurino-Burns took the loss (0-1) as he gave up three runs on two hits in one inning.

Philadelphia heads to Provident Bank Park to face Dominican (N.Y.) in a CACC contest on Sunday, April 6 at noon.