MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College baseball team (23-7, 13-1) swept the Allegheny Gators (18-12, 10-4) in a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader Friday afternoon. The Presidents took a 13-0 run-rule victory in game one then bested the Gators in game two, 4-1.
 
Luke Alvarez (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) highlighted the W&J offense in game one, going 3-for-5 with a home run and two runs batted in. Brian Feldman (Gibsonia, Pa./Eden Christian Academy) and Zac Stern (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) also had three hits on the day. Feldman drove in three runs in game one while Stern racked up an RBI in game two.
 
Game 1 – W&J 13, Allegheny 0 (8 innings)
The Presidents peppered the scoring column throughout series opener, tallying 15 hits.
 
Jacob LaDuca (Clarence, N.Y./Canisius) and Brendan Cruz (Carnegie, Pa./Chartiers Valley) each scored in the opening two innings on a wild pitch and balk, 2-0.
 
The W&J offense broke out in the top of the fourth inning, bolstering their lead to 7-0. Alvarez sent a two-run shot over the left field fence to start the scoring barrage. Drew Garth (Glenshaw, Pa./North Hills) doubled to left center, driving in two more runs. A Feldman RBI single, scoring Garth, concluded the scoring in the fourth.
 
W&J added two runs in the seventh inning, 9-0. LaDuca scored Cruz on a fielder's choice to second base. A Garth groundout also drove in Alvarez from third.
 
In the top of the eighth, W&J scored four runs to surpass the 10-run mercy rule. Feldman drove in two runs with a double to right field. Eli Owens (Alexandria, Va./West Potomac) smacked an RBI single through the right side. Ben Schuler (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) singled to left, scoring the final run of the game, 13-0.
 
Ethan Marszalek (Katy, Texas/Seven Lakes) pitched 7.0 scoreless innings on the mound, fanning eight to collect his fifth win of the season. Ben Pierce (Bel Air, Md./John Carroll) worked the final three outs for W&J in the bottom of the eight inning with two strikeouts.
 
Game 2 – W&J 4, Allegheny 1
A pitcher's duel to open game two kept the scoring column untouched until the final three innings.
 
W&J struck first in the top of the seventh inning with the first two runs of the game. An error by the Gators second baseman scored Knox Meier (Tampa, Fla./Berkeley Prep). Stern singled through the right side to drive in Paddy Hernjak (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley), 2-0.
 
W&J followed suit in the top of the eighth, adding two more runs to grow the lead to four. Garth doubled to left center to score Teddy Platt (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township). Hernjak performed a sacrifice squeeze bunt to score LaDuca from third, 4-0.
 
Allegheny added a run in the bottom of the eighth but fell short as the Presidents coasted to their sixth conference sweep of the season.
 
Dante DiMatteo (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) pitched 7.0 scoreless innings, fanning nine en route to his seventh victory of the season. DiMatteo sports a 0.94 earned run average on the season and a 7-0 record. Cruz and Jake Stiehl (Reston, Va./South Lakes) worked an inning of relief and recorded one strikeout each. Stiehl picked up his first save of the season.
 
The Presidents return to action outside of league play on Monday (April 21) to face Division I Kent State. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.