Gannon University’s baseball team defeated East Stroudsburg 5-4 in walk-off fashion Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament in Johnstown.
The win marked the Knights’ 32nd victory of the year, which is a new program record, and vaulted the team into Thursday’s 3:30 p.m. matchup with West Chester, which beat California (Pa.) earlier Wednesday.
Deven Judy started Wednesday’s game on the mound for the Knights and threw five scoreless innings, striking out five.
Gannon got on the board with three solo home runs across the third and fourth inning from Jared Beach and two from Dominic Mori.
Jarod Morrison, who came on to pitch in the sixth inning of the nine-inning game, surrendered three runs, which tied the game at 3-3.
Ty Phelps came in to record the final out of the sixth inning and would go on to keep the ball for the rest of the game for the Knights.
The Warriors took a late lead in the bottom half of the eighth inning, with a home run off Phelps to go ahead 4-3.
Justin Hamm, the Knights’ leadoff hitter, got the ninth inning started for Gannon with a one-out double down the left-field line. Elijah Quiceno, hitting in the two spot, doubled down the left-field line to drive Hamm home and tie the game at 4-4.
After East Stroudsburg intentionally walked both Nate Cardy and Ian Hess to load the bases, Ian Steighner singled to right field with two outs to win the game.
“After he started me off with two breaking balls it was a 2-0 count and I was sitting on a fastball,” said Steighner. “I swung through the first one and he came at me with another one and I didn’t miss that one.”
MICHAEL MARSICO
