WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Catcher
Dan Trettel (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) recorded six hits and collected all of the necessary pieces of the cycle during a doubleheader sweep of Bethany for No. 4 Washington & Jefferson.
The Presidents pounded out 29 hits over the two games to open Presidents' Athletic Conference action 2-0, while also improving to 3-1 this year. In the opener, W&J used 16 hits to earn the 13-3 victory, which was ended after eight innings due to the 10-run rule after seven. That was instituted this season for the first game of PAC doubleheaders now that the league has moved to two nine-inning games for conference play. The second game featured 13 Presidents' hits and a 10-3 win for the defending national finalists.
Serving as the away team after the games were moved from Bethany due to field conditions, W&J wasted little time getting the offense going in the first contest scoring three times as the first five batters reached base. Trettel hit the sixth pitch of the game out over everything in left field, clearing the W&J bullpen and the trees beyond it, and bringing home third baseman
Mullen Socha (Independence, Ohio/St. Ignatius), who singled to open play. Center fielder
Ryan Sciullo (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area) then doubled down the left-field line and scored on a single by first baseman
Mark Merlino (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford), 3-0.
After being held off the board in the second inning, the Presidents plated at least one run in the final six frames, including two in each of the fourth-through-seventh.
In that opener, 12 of W&J's 16 hits came from four players as Socha had career highs of four hits and three runs scored as he went 4-for-5. Trettel and Merlino each had three hits, with Trettel hitting a homer, triple and double, driving in three and scoring three while concluding at 3-for-5. Merlino walked once en route to a 3-for-3 day with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Left fielder
James Artale (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) also hit his first home run of the season and went 2-for-3 with three RBI, a walk and a run.
Bryce Schnatterly (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) improved to 16-5 in his career, working the first 5.0 innings and scattering nine hits and three runs.
Matt Heslin (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) picked up his second career save, pitching the final 3.0 innings and giving up just three hits and striking out two.
W&J did the bulk of its damage in the nightcap in the fourth and fifth innings, plating nine combined runs in those two frames. Trettel had three singles in going 3-for-4 with two RBI, while right fielder
Dante Dalesandro (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) was 2-for-3 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored and shortstop
Spencer Howell (Oakwood, Ohio/Oakwood) notched a pair of base hits (2-for-3) and scored twice.
Santino Platt (Pittsburgh, Pa./OLSH) needed just 64 pitches to get through the first 6.0 innings, matching his career high with five strikeouts and yielding only four hits and two runs.
Mitchell Taufer (Washington, Pa./Bishop Canevin),
Garrett Harstine (New Philadelphia, Ohio/New Philadelphia) and
Clay Martin (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) each worked an inning to close out the game, combining for six strikeouts. Harstine and Martin were perfect in their innings of relief.
The Presidents are scheduled to play a pair of home nonconference doubleheaders this coming weekend, beginning with two nine-inning games against Oberlin on Saturday, March 10 at 1 p.m.
