W&J Opens Season With Two Shutout Victories
WASHINGTON, Pa. – Junior right hander Eddie Nogay (Weirton, W. Va./Madonna) tossed a two-hit shutout to lead the Washington & Jefferson College baseball team to a 6-0 victory over Bethany during game one of its season-opening doubleheader Saturday at Ross Memorial Park. The Presidents recorded 16 hits and routed the Bison 18-0 in game two.
Nogay struck out six and did not walk a batter in seven innings of work, earning the third complete-game shutout of his career. He did not allow a Bison base runner to advance past second base.
After senior second baseman Scott Liller (Moon Township, Pa./Moon) doubled to left-center field and advanced to third on a Bison error, junior left fielder Derek McIlvaine (Washington, Pa./Chartiers-Houston) plated him with an single to open the scoring in the third inning.
The Presidents scored one run in the fourth when senior center fielder Scott Brady (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) recorded an RBI single, and added three more runs one inning later. Junior right fielder Josh Staniscia’s (Export, Pa./Franklin Regional) single knocked in one and classmate Ronny Peirish (Wexford, Pa./Pine-Richland) followed with a two-run triple. Peirish’s run-scoring groundout in the sixth inning capped the scoring during game one.
Junior right hander Brian O’Neill (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) earned the win on the mound in the nightcap. O’Neill pitched five scoreless innings, striking out three, while surrendering four hits. Sophomore right hander Tyler Dean (Valencia, Pa./Mars Area) fanned three and did not allow a run during the final two innings.
Staniscia drove home a trio of runs to help W&J take a 4-0 lead after three innings and the Presidents doubled their advantage with a four-run fourth.
W&J put the game away by exploding for nine runs during the sixth frame. Freshman infielder Anthony Paladino (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) tallied a run-scoring single, while classmates Nick Kolat (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) and Michael Ruffing (Brunswick, Ohio/St. Ignatius) both smashed two-run doubles during their first collegiate at-bats to aid the outburst.
Staniscia paced the offense all afternoon by going 5-for-8 at the plate with five runs batted in, while scoring three times. Liller and juniors D.J. Michalski (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and Kyle McLain (East Amherst, N.Y./Canisius) all recorded three hits, while Peirish tallied three RBI. Michalski also scored five runs.
Dan Petrella led the Bison offensively with a pair of base hits. Zac Kozlowski took the loss in game one after giving up five earned runs in 4.1 innings, while Ryan Meier was saddled with the game-two loss. Meier surrendered eight runs (six earned) during 3.1 innings of work.
W&J and Bethany complete the three-game series Sunday at Ross Memorial Park (1:00 pm).
