BASEBALL
MONROE, N.C. — A grand slam home run to left field by senior outfielder Sam Gardner (Curwensville) was the key blow for Pitt-Bradford (4-1) in a 9-3 victory over SUNY Canton Sunday at the Piedmont High School Field.
His second career homer gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead and proved to be the game-winning hit.
Gardner also stole a base and scored in the seventh inning.
In the Panthers’ 15-8 nightcap win, he came off the bench to score runs after being hit by a pitch in the fifth and drawing a walk in the sixth before raising his average to .250 with a single in the seventh.
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WASHINGTON, Pa. — Junior second baseman Derek Danver (Clearfield) had one hit in Clarion’s season-opening doubleheader with California University of Pennsylvania at Consol Energy Park Sunday afternoon.
The Golden Eagles gained a split in the non-conference action with a 4-3 win in the second game after being shut out 3-0.
Last spring, Danver played in 36 games, all but one as a middle infield starter or designated hitter, and was second in runs (10), fifth in hits (22), third in runs batted in (7) and fifth in hitting (.234).
He began his career with 39 starts at Penn State Altoona in 2012 and was one of the Lions’ top hitters with a .348 average and a team-high 37 RBIs. Included in his 47 hits were nine doubles and one home run.
Senior left-hander Caleb “Ben” McGary (Curwensville) returns to the pitching staff after accounting for two of Clarion’s four wins last spring.
His two-hit, complete-game, 2-1 victory at Slippery Rock in late March was the lone win in the Golden Eagles’ first 40 games, and he five-hit Lock Haven for a 4-2 win in a season-ending sweep that set their final record at 4-40.
McGary was 2-8 with a 5.80 earned run average in a team-high 10 starts and led the Golden Eagles in complete games with six and innings pitched with 54.1.
He struck out 28 and walked 24 while allowing 68 hits and 51 runs, 16 of which were unearned.