Gannon steals two victories from IUP

The IUP baseball team dropped both games against Gannon Sunday after winning two games against them Saturday.

IUP won the first game 6-2 after a quick start, a good finish and great pitching.

Aaron Lupia hit a two-run RBI in the first inning to push IUP to an early 2-0 start.

Gannon tied it up in the third inning after Evan Baglieri scored the first run after following an error. Tim Lipp hit an RBI double for the tying run.

Frank Sirolli hit a home run in the third inning to split the tie. IUP went on to pick up three more runs in the fifth inning.

Where the Hawks had success at the plate, the real story was IUP pitchers Greg Stewart and Stephen Cooke.

Stewart gave up two runs off of four hits and struck out 11 batters in six innings during his third win

of the season.

Cooke finished  with three strikeouts to end the game.

The second game of the first double header was closer than what IUP was hoping it would be, as it rallied in the sixth inning to pick up two runs to win, 3-2.

IUP again got off to an early start with a run in the first inning, but Gannon bounced back with two runs in the fifth inning to take the lead 2-1.

With the bases loaded, Dylan Songer was walked, which brought in Sirolli for the tying run.

Mike Lupia picked up an unearned run after scoring on a passed ball.

Gannon was unable to find any runs in the seventh and dropped two straight to IUP. The

two wins put IUP at 12-12 on the season.

Cooke picked up his second win of the season giving up zero runs off of three hits after pitching the remaining 2 and 2/3 innings.

In the first game of the second double header, IUP scored two runs in the first inning but gave up four runs to Gannon in the first two innings.

 IUP never recovered and lost, 5-2.

Mitch Perez lost his second game after giving up four runs and three hits in two innings. Ben Weimer finished the game for IUP and gave up one run in four innings.

IUP lost the second game of the second double header of the weekend 7-6, after going up 5-2.

Vern Powell picked up an RBI single in the first to get IUP on the board. Two more runners came in off of Aaron Lupia's RBI double.

Songer finished the inning with an RBI single.

Gannon had other plans, and picked up two runs in the first and second inning.

The game was tied in the seventh inning where Michael Brosius pinch ran for Jordan Bergado. Terry Carson hit an RBI single to bring Brosius in for the winning run.

Cooke picked up his third loss of the season after coming into the game in the fourth inning. When the game was tied, he gave up the winning run.

The losses moved IUP (12-14, 4-4) back to third place behind Lock Haven (13-8, 4-2) in the PSAC West.

IUP will hit the road and play Bloomsburg at 1 p.m. April 1.