WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Joe Vita finally got his complete game. The Presidents' sophomore has twice been lifted this season after going 8.0 innings, but tonight he was able to go the distance in a complete-game shutout of Saint Vincent, a game Washington & Jefferson won 4-0 at Ross Memorial Park.

Vita (3-0) was in command all evening, needing just 99 pitches to work through the Bearcats' order, lowering his season ERA to a paltry 0.71 in 38.0 innings. The sophomore surrendered just five hits, with two walks and a strikeout, getting 17 outs via ground balls. It was the third shutout for the W&J pitching staff that Vita has been a part of this season, and fourth total for the team.

There's actually a term that's grown more popular in recent years to describe Vita's accomplishment on the evening: a "Maddux," named in honor of Major League Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. The parameters for a Maddux are: a starting pitcher must pitch the entire game, said game must go at least nine innings (no rain shortened affairs), the pitcher must give up no runs, and he can throw no more than 99 total pitches. The feat is fairly rare. There have been an average of roughly 10 per season in the MLB since 1988, with 289 between 1988-2013.

While Vita was strong on the evening, Saint Vincent starter Michael Patsch (0-2) was right there as well for most of the game, working 6.1 innings with seven hits, four strike outs and two runs, both earned.

W&J (15-6, 7-3 Presidents' Athletic Conference) struck first for a run in the bottom of the fifth, when Ryan Sciullo, Derek Helbing and Nick Gatins, the bottom third of the order, singled consecutively to open the frame, with Gatins' single through the right side bringing home Sciullo. Patsch was able to limit the damage though, getting outs on the next three at bats.

The Presidents broke the game open in the bottom of the seventh, plating a trio of runs in the frame. A one-out walk to Anthony Paladino chased Patsch, but the second pitch from reliever Dustin Welsh was driven down the right field line by Nick Vento and skipped off the glove of the sliding right fielder for a double, putting runners on second and third. Kyle Smith was then intentionally walked to load the bases, but Jake Gordon drew a walk, after working the count to 3-2, to bring home a run. Nelson McKown then drilled a liner to left field for an RBI single, forcing another SVC pitching change. The next batter, Sciullo, delivered a sacrifice fly to left to increase the lead to the eventual final of 4-0.

Vita needed just five pitches to retire the Bearcats (9-13, 4-8 PAC) in the top of the ninth, one of four innings in which he faced the minimum number of hitters. After a one-out single, his final pitch forced a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.

Paladino, Vento and Gatins all recorded two-hit games under the lights. It was the first start of the season for Gatins, filling in at shortstop.

The two teams will complete the season series with a doubleheader in Latrobe on Sunday, April 12 at 1 p.m.