No. 20 Point Park Baseball takes two from Fisher (Mass.) on Opening Day, 16-2 and 7-4

WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Taking advantage of the temperature at 60 degrees in early February, No. 20-ranked Point Park University baseball opened up its season Friday at Wild Things Park with an NAIA doubleheader versus Fisher (Mass.). The Pioneers won both ends of the twinbill, 16-2 and 7-4. 

In the matchup of two teams that both played in the NAIA national tournament last season, the Pioneers (2-0) scored 16 unanswered runs with four homers and three triples to run away with the opener. In the nightcap, three pitchers combining to cover the outing and some clutch hits gave Point Park the sweep over the Falcons (0-2). 

Point Park and Fisher conclude the four-game series with another doubleheader on Saturday with first pltch at 12:00 p.m. back at Wild Things Park. 

GAME 1 -- POINT PARK 16, FISHER 2

Point Park pounded out 14 hits -- eight of which went for extra bases -- to power past Fisher in the opener. The Pioneers were down 2-1 before exploding for eight runs and three homers in the third inning. 

Eddie Javier Jr. turned the tide for Point Park with a three-run triple in the fourth. That started the big inning and gave the Pioneers a 4-2 lead. 

Chris Williams, who was 3 for 4 with three RBIs, followed with two-run homer. Later in the frame, Isaac Santana went opposite field for a two-run homer of his own on his way to 3 for 4 with three RBIs as well. Santana had a double, triple and homer in the game.

Two batters later, Michali Brito blasted a solo bomb to make the score 9-2. 

The offense continued with six more runs in the fifth. Javier drove in another run with his second triple of the day. Omar Morillo finished off the onslaught with a two-run homer. Javier Jr was 2 for 3 with four RBIs. Morillo was 2 for 4 and drove in two. 

Javier Cardoso II pitched 6.0 innings of the seven-inning game to get the victory. Fisher scored single runs in the first and second innings, but Cardoso shut down the Falcons from there. He struck out five and walked none.

Logan Creamer pitched the seventh inning picking up two strikeouts to close out the game in a non-save situation. 

GAME 2 -- POINT PARK 7, FISHER 4

The Pioneers had some key hitting and lined up three pitchers to get the victory in game two. Point Park struck for four runs in the second inning to go up early, 4-0.

Crixtian Taveras delivered a two-run single to start the scoring. A sacrifice fly by Omar Morillo and a base hit by Isaac Santana to drive in a run added on. 

Fisher cut the lead in half on Jeremy Renta's two-run homer in the top half of the fourth. The Pioneers scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom half with Morillo coming up with an RBI single and Jared Campbell scoring on the back end of a double steal to make the score 6-2. 

Fisher got back within 6-4 with a pair of runs in the sixth. Point Park starter Ramon Rodriguez had pitched the first 5.2 innings to that point giving up the four runs on six hits, five strikeouts and one walk before being lifted with the tying run at the plate.

Jose Moreno came in to get the final out of the sixth retiring the only batter he faced and stranding a runner at third. 

Point Park got an insurance run in its half of the sixth with Morillo drawing a two-out walk, stealing second and scoring on Jared Campbell's base hit up the middle. 

Up 7-4, Joathan Rivera worked a 1-2-3 seventh to get the save forcing the Falcons into two groundouts and a flyout in between. 

UP NEXT

The series with Fisher is part of a tough stretch for Point Park to start the season. The Pioneers play nine of their first 10 games versus teams who were in the NAIA national tournament last season. Point Park has two games next weekend at No. 2-ranked Georgia Gwinnett and the next weekend after that plays at No. 1 Southeastern (Fla.) and at No. 12 Webber International (Fla.) for a total of three games.