Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

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Video Highlights

Thanks to a pair of stellar pitching performances, the Bearcat baseball team swept Geneva College 4-0 and 8-1 in a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader in Beaver Falls, PA.

In the opener, Paul Kubeja fired a complete game shutout, scattering seven hits with five strikeouts and one walk, before Gary Gerhardt earned the team's second compete game win of the day, allowing five hits with nine strikeouts.

The Bearcats opened the day's scoring in the second inning of game one, taking the 1-0 lead after back-to-back two-out doubles from Erik Fichter and Steven Bayko.  Saint Vincent would then add a second tally in the top of the third, as Brad Burkardt singled to lead off the frame, advanced to second after Joe Aul reached on an error, and scored on an RBI single from Zack Galasso.

The visitors would then close out the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth.  Aul and Galasso began the frame with consecutive singles, and each advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch.  With two outs, Fichter would come through again, knocking a two-run single to center to give the Bearcats the four-run advantage.

Meanwhile, Kubeja cruised, with only three Geneva batters advancing past second base.  Saint Vincent quashed the lone Golden Tornado threat in the sixth, as the hosts would load the bases with one out, before Kubeja induced a ground ball to Burkardt at short, who gunned the runner down at the plate, and then ended the inning with a pop up to preserve the shutout.

For the game, Kubeja faced just five batters over the minimum, and issued just one walk while getting a pair of ground ball double plays.  Just one of the 21 outs recorded by the junior came via fly ball, while he went to a three-ball count just twice on the afternoon.

Offensively, SVC totaled 11 hits in the win, with Fichter, Hustava, and Galasso each going 2-for-4 to lead the way.  Geneva's Adam Scheiderer and Eric Sulava had two hits apiece, while Matt Baer started on the hill and took the loss, going five innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on 10 hits, striking out four.

In the nightcap, the Bearcats took a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first, after Burkardt, who singled with one out, was brought home by a Galasso triple.  The visitors would then manufacture their second run to up their lead in the top of the second.  With one out, AJ Kavinsky walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a passed ball, before scoring on an RBI ground out from Aul.

Saint Vincent would then put the game away with a five-run top of the fifth.  Joey Fearer led off with a double to the fence in center, and the Bearcats would then load the bases, as Kavinsky singled and Burkardt walked.  Galasso would then reach on an error, plating both Fearer and Kavinsky, before Hustava would clear the bases with a two-run triple to the gap in left center, making the score  6-0.  Two batters later, Hustava would score on a Fichter single, giving SVC the 7-0 lead.

The Golden Tornadoes would score their lone run of the doubleheader in the bottom of the sixth, with Joel Gatti recording a sacrifice fly, but the Bearcats would regain the seven-run lead in their final at bat, after Hustava, who singled, would come around on a balk, making the score 8-1.

The offense was more than enough for Gerhardt, who began the game in dominant fashion, striking out five of the first six and eight of the first 11 batters he faced.  Each of Geneva's six hits were singles, while Gerhardt walked just two and improved his PAC-leading strikeout total to 34, in 27 innings pitched.

Like the opener, the Bearcats tallied 11 hits, with Fichter, Hustava, Kavinsky, and Burkardt all posting two hits apiece.  Eight of the team's nine starters recorded at least one hit in the game.

The Bearcats improve to 7-8 with the two victories, while Geneva falls to 10-5.  The two teams will wrap up the three-game season series on Monday afternoon, facing off in a single, nine-inning game at Bearcat Ballfield beginning at 3pm.