The Golden Eagles (7-18, 2-8 PSAC West) will face off with the Vulcans twice more on Saturday afternoon.

Game 1

Bryce Jackson had a big day, powering Clarion to the victory in the early game. The freshman went 2-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored, starting with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning to put the Golden Eagles ahead for good. He tacked on an insurance run in the fifth inning, scoring Brady Andrews with an RBI double and crossing the plate himself on a hit from Cole Shaffer. Andrews contributed a 2-for-2 line with two runs scored and a walk in the early game as well.

Jeremy Frazier (2-4) got the win, throwing 5.2 innings and allowing five runs. Dereck Pritchard got the final two outs of the game for his first save of the season, while Bailey Durocher added 0.2 innings of scoreless relief himself.

The Golden Eagles led 3-0 after Jackson’s blast in the first inning but added no more runs until an outburst in the fifth inning after the Vulcans cut the lead to 3-2. Palyas sliced a two-out triple into the left-center gap to score Nick Fugh, and Andrews drove him in with a double to the same spot to make it 5-2. Jackson lined a double to left field to score Andrews, and Shaffer punched a single the opposite way to put Clarion ahead 7-2 through five innings. California added three more runs in the sixth inning to attempt to come back, but Durocher and Pritchard shut the door in the seventh.

Game 2

The late game was in California’s hands from the outset, with the Vulcans scoring two or more runs in four of the first five innings to build a commanding lead. After pairs of runs in the first and second innings, the Vulcans went off for five in the third inning, making it a 9-0 game. Clarion put runners in scoring position twice in the first three innings, with Palyas and Nick Fugh each reaching third with two outs, but neither scored. The game ended with runners on first and second, when Garett Goslaw grounded into a double play to end the inning and the game.