University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Athletics2

GREENSBURG, PA:  The heavy hitting Bobcat lineup scored a total of 27 runs in two playoff victories over visiting Pitt-Bradford to clinch their third straight trip to the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Baseball Championships.  They'd take a back and forth opener by an 11-9 score, then leave no doubt in the nightcap, with a 16-0 shutout of the Panthers.

The playoff sweep moves Pitt-Greensburg's record to 23-15-1 on the year while Pitt-Bradford's season comes to an end with an 8-18-1 mark.  23 wins in 2015 sets a new school-high, edging the 22 victory total the Bobcats posted during their playoff run a year ago.

Game 1:
The opener would see the Bobcats take full advantage of some early control issues by the Pitt-Bradford pitching staff.  With runners on second and third, both Matt Germanoski (Ellwood City, PA, Ellwood City) and Mike Maleski (Pittsburgh, PA, Plum) would wear pitches to bring in Pitt-Greensburg's first run in the bottom of the first.

The Panthers would answer with a run in the top of the second, but a big bottom of the second would put UPG up 5-1.  Three walks would load the bases, which would prompt an Anthony Bozzuto (Greensburg, PA, Hempfield) two-run double that scored a pair of UPG runs.  A Chad Jacob (Bridgeville, PA, Chartiers Valley) RBI double would bring in run four followed by a Tyler Lilja (Greensburg, PA, Hempfield) walk two batters later that scored the fifth Bobcat run.

Bradford would once again answer with a top of the third run to tighten the gap at 5-2.

The Bobcats would add another in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to a Lilja sacrifice fly that brought in Jacob for a 6-2 score.

Bradford got busy in the top of the fifth and took over the lead, helped by a pair of homeruns that put the visitors up 7-6.

Their lead would be short lived with a Bozzuto one run-single and a Germanoski RBI double recapturing the lead at 8-7 in favor of UPG.

The sixth inning would see Pitt-Bradford plate a pair of runs to move ahead 9-8, only to be outdone by a trio of Bobcat runs that silenced the Panther rally.  Greg Lynn (Ellwood City, PA, Ellwood City) tied things at nine with an RBI single through the right side followed by an Anthony Maroadi (North Huntingdon, PA, Norwin) run on a Mike Parlak (Connellsville, PA, Connellsville) fielder's choice.  Parlak would score one batter later on a hard hit ball by Bozzuto that forced an error on the Panther's second basemen, giving the Bobcats an 11-9 advantage.  Jacob would step to the plate next and send a single to centerfield for his 60^th hit of the season, breaking his own record of 59, set a just one year ago.



















A scoreless seventh would follow as Dylan Pounds (Houston, PA, Chartiers-Houston) shut the door on Pitt-Bradford for the 11-9 final.  Pounds would make the move from shortstop to pitcher in the sixth, collecting the final five outs for the win and helping Pitt-Greensburg push past the Panthers.

Jacob posted a 4-5 performance with a double, a run scored, and a RBI while Bozzuto tallied a team high three RBI and added a pair of runs.  Matt Moyer (Greensburg, PA, Hempfield), Pounds, and Maroadi would also cross home twice in the opener.

Game 2:
An offensive barrage and some stingy pitching during the second game of Saturday's playoff series would lead Pitt-Greensburg to victory number two. 

A Jacob one run double would in the bottom of the first would give the Bobcats an early 1-0 lead.  They'd follow with a four run second, then a five run fourth to amass a 10-0 advantage

Six more runs in the fifth would put things out of reach as Pitt-Greensburg now sat atop an insurmountable 16-0 lead.

Brandon Rowland (Greensburg, PA, Greensburg Salem) was nearly unhittable in the lopsided victory.  He'd pitch all seven innings, holding the Panthers scoreless and allowing four hits with no walks.  He'd also pick up nine strikeouts as he improved his overall record to 5-3 and dropped his ERA to 1.91 on the year.

Jacob would once again pace the Pitt-Greensburg offense going 4-5 with three doubles.  The second double, his 18^th of the year, would break Steve Anderson's single season record of 17 set in 2010.  Jacob would also add two runs scored and a team-high four RBI.  Lynn and Maleski would tally three hits in the victory with Lynn scoring a team-high three runs.  Moyer, Bozzuto, and Maroadi would round things out each picking up a pair of hits.

The Bobcats move on to the AMCC Championships with a rematch of last season's championship game.  They'll face the first seeded La Roche Redhawks Friday, May 8^th at 4:00pm on the campus of La Roche College.