WASHINGTON, Pa. --
Josh Crummer and
Frank Fortunato each drove in four runs as the Presidents took the season series from Thiel with a 9-2 win over the Tomcats at Ross Memorial Park.
With the win, Washington & Jefferson improves to 14-11 overall this year after taking two-of-three from Thiel the last two days. The Presidents move to 8-4 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, which puts them in a tie for third with the Tomcats, who hold an identical league record, with a 19-9 overall mark.
Trevor Kerr earned the win to improve to 3-1 on the mound this season. He worked 7.0 innings, scattering eight hits and two runs with five strikeouts and one walk. In exactly 100 pitches, the junior got 11 ground outs and four fly outs.
Joe Vita and
Tim Mulvey worked scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth to close out the game.
W&J struck first in the bottom of the first with a three spot after a bases-clearing double by
Josh Crummer plated three.
Adam LaRue was hit by a pitch to lead off the game and
Nick Vento reached on a fielding error with one out.
Frank Fortunato got on when he hit a ball back to the pitcher whose throw to second went into center field to load the bases, setting the table for Crummer's big hit.
Thiel cut the margin to 3-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the third, but W&J answered right back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three times.
Derek Helbing singled to lead off and Vento and Fortunato delivered back-to-back doubles, Fortunato's bringing in two runs. Crummer's fourth RBI of the day came on a sacrifice fly to cap the scoring and make the score 6-2.
The only other runs in the game came in W&J's third three-run inning, the bottom of the seventh. LaRue hit a one-out single and Helbing was hit by a pitch. The two runners advanced a base on a balk and LaRue crossed the plate when Vento snuck a single through the right side with the infield drawn in. Fortunato registered his second two-run double of the day, as Vento was able to score from first and Helbing third.
Vento finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored. Fortunato was 2-for-4 with two doubles, four RBI and two runs, plus Crummer ended the game 1-for-3 with four RBI of his own.
Dan Trettel notched his sixth double of the season in the win.
The Presidents will host Waynesburg in a PAC doubleheader at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19.
Highlights
Crummer's bases-clearing double that opened the scoring in the first inning
The first of two two-run doubles by Fortunato
Vento sneaks a ball past the drawn in infield for an RBI single
Fortunato's second double of the day plated the final runs for W&J
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