Baseball sweeps Rivier in twinbill

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Juniata College baseball earned 15-0 and 9-3 victories over Rivier College Sunday afternoon at the RussMatt Invitational in Winter Haven, Fla.

In the 15-0 win, it took the Eagles until the third inning to get on the board, but once they did Juniata couldn't be stopped, and without any fielding errors by the Juniata defense, and sophomore Ryan Morrison's standout performance, it was a recipe for success for the Blue and Gold.

Morrison (Lebanon, Pa./Lebanon Catholic) pitched the entire seven-inning game and allowed just three hits while striking out four and walking one batter. 

Sophomore Brad Medellin (Lewisberry, Pa./Red Land) went 2-of-3 in the batters box including a single and Juniata's only double. Medellin drove in three runs and crossed the plate three times for the Eagles.

Dan Gray (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) also went 2-of-3 as he walked twice and batted in two runners and trotted to home plate twice in the contest. D. Gray's brother, Russell Gray (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) also had a multi-hit game with a 2-of-4 effort including 2 RBIs. Junior Cole Walters (Mt. Union, Pa./Mt. Union) and senior Matt Fritz (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) each added a single in the 15-0 win.

In the second game of the double-header, Juniata jumped out to an immediate 4-0 start and added four more runs in the top of the third and one more in the fourth to seal the deal for Juniata.

Medellin had another multi-hit performance with a pair of doubles, while junior Ben Mersky (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) also contributed a double. 

Sophomore Joe Sforza (Pittstown, N.J./Immaculata) batted in two runs and logged a pair of singles, while senior Thomas Eck (Columbia, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) also charted two singles in the contest. Sophomore Chase Dykstra (Somerset, Pa./Somerset Area) recorded two singles and an RBI in the game. D. Gray, R. Gray, and Fritz each posted a single against the Raiders.

Senior Will Hoffman (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney) hurled the first six innings of the game and gave up eight hits and three runs, two walks, and struck out four. Junior Andrew Groninger (McAlisterville, Pa./East Juniata) stepped in and threw the final inning and walked one batter and struck out a single batter. 

Juniata continues play in Winter Haven, Fla. against Eastern Mennonite on Tuesday, March 6 at the RussMatt Invitational at 1:00 p.m.

-30-