Juniata Baseball Sweeps First Landmark Twinbill

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Juniata College received a pair of complete game pitching performances on its way to a doubleheader sweep of Catholic University, in Landmark Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon in Washington, D.C.

The Eagles won game one 9-8, then completed the sweep with a 7-6 win in the second game.

Senior lefthander Andrew Snyder (Punxsutawney, Pa./Punxsutawney) scattered seven hits and struck out three while allowing three walks in his seven innings of work.
Juniata plated the game-winning run in the seventh, when Steve Wilk (Blairsville, Pa./Blairsville) reached on a single, advanced on a sacrifice and a ground out, and eventually scored on a passed ball.

The Eagles' did most of their damage in the fourth inning, when Catholic walked four straight Eagle batters, pushing one Juniata run across. Dan Kauffman (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) proceeded to clear the bases with a grand slam home run.

Kauffman forced another Juniata run to score in the sixth, when Adam Spadafora (Asbury, N.J./Pennington School) crossed the plate on Kauffman's grounder into a double play.

In game two, sophomore righty Tyler Clifford (Homer City, Pa./Homer City) gave up 11 hits but only six runs and allowed just one walk over his seven innings on the mound.

Juniata put up three runs in the second inning, including a pair off Shawn McDonald's (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) two-run triple. The Eagles had three more in the fourth, with Spadafora getting an RBI single and Kevin Small (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) plating two runs on his double.

Wilk had what proved to be the game-winning run in game two as well, with his lead off solo blast in the fifth that broke a 6-6 tie.

Juniata will complete the three-game conference series on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. in Washington, D.C.