PHILADELPHIA, Penn. – All it would take was one to clinch the CACC North Division for the third straight season and in game one against Holy Family University on Sunday afternoon, Post University Baseball would do just that with a resounding 13-1 victory over the Tigers. For good measure, the Eagles finished off their regular season conference play with a shutout victory in game two, 3-0, to close 19-6 in the CACC and win it by two games over Felician University which split on Sunday with Chestnut Hill College.
Winning the North Division ensured Post will not have to play next weekend in a three-game series, advancing straight to the CACC Tournament the week after from May 9th-11th at Municipal Stadium.
THE BASICS
Post University 13, Holy Family University 1 (7 Innings)
Post University 3, Holy Family University 0 (7 Innings)
Post University (24-19, 19-6 CACC)
Holy Family University (19-26, 11-13 CACC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: Post University 13, Holy Family University 1 (7 Innings)
Junior third baseman Justin Rivera was the man on top for the Eagles' offense, going 1-for-2 with a three-run home run and a sacrifice fly which got him two RBIs and one run scored in the victory. Junior catcher Jimmy Brennan had a perfect afternoon at the dish, notching a 4-for-4 performance with a double, an RBI, and three runs scored.
Graduate right-hander Joe Christiana continued his dominant stretch of pitching for Post, holding the Tigers to just one run in his complete-game seven innings of work which saw him allow only three hits while striking out 11 and walking one. Christiana is now a team-best 6-1 on the mound this year and has not allowed more than two runs in an outing since March 12th down in Florida against the University of New Haven.
With those 11 strikeouts, Christiana also tied his career high which he set earlier this season against Queens College during his seven innings of shutout work then. Eight of the nine starters for the Eagles had at least one hit in the affair with junior first baseman Chris Corchado being the only starter to not record a hit after going 0-for-4 but he joined his teammates with all nine starters reaching base with his walk in the 13-1 win.
Game 2: Post University 0, Holy Family University 0 (7 Innings)
Continuing his hot afternoon, Brennan got the scoring started for Post in game two with his RBI double in the first as the Eagles continued a stretch of eight consecutive runs scored between the two games of the doubleheader. By the end of game two, that streak would increase to 10 consecutive runs as Brennan tacked on another with his sacrifice fly in the third while senior outfielder Jaylen Kelley added one in the sixth with his solo home run to make it a 3-0 game.
On the mound, junior right-hander Brennan Holligan nearly had the second no-hitter of the season for Post, having allowed just two baserunners entering the final inning after hitting a batter and walking another. With one out in the seventh, senior infielder Dylan Mercedes put an end to the no-hit bid with his single, but that did not stop Holligan from finishing off his second shutout of the season.
Retiring the next two batters, Holligan polished off his third complete game and second shutout after going the full seven innings while allowing no runs on one hit with eight strikeouts and one walk. It was the second straight game in which the junior had reached that strikeout mark which tied the career high he set last weekend against Jefferson University at home.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Michael Pavelchak has reached base safely in 24 straight games after going 1-for-3 with two runs scored in game one and going 1-for-4 with a run scored in game two
- With 184 career hits after today, Michael Pavelchak is nine hits away from surpassing Dan Luisi from the most hits in Post University Baseball program history
- Getting a shutout in game two, Post University pitching now has seven shutouts on the year which is the most since the 2011 campaign when the Eagles had nine shutouts
- Post University is now 18-7 on the season when they score the game's first run after scoring first in game one and two while staying 6-12 when allowing the first run of the game
WHO'S NEXT
Post University ends its regular season with another matchup against Southern New Hampshire University, this time on the road at 3:30 PM on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier this season, it was the Penmen taking two of the three games played at Municipal Stadium between the two teams with the Eagles winning their one game on a walk-off hit. At the moment, Southern New Hampshire is ranked fourth in the NCBWA East Region Poll while Post sits in 10th.
