WASHINGTON, Pa. – Strong starting pitcher keyed the Washington & Jefferson College baseball team in its doubleheader sweep of visiting Chatham University Saturday afternoon in a Presidents' Athletic Conference play at Ross Memorial Park. 

The Presidents took an early lead and tacked on throughout a 6-3 game one victory. W&J took a low scoring affair by a 3-1 margin in game two for the sweep.

Game One – W&J 6, Chatham 3
 
The Presidents took game one in their doubleheader against the Chatham Cougars by a 6-3 score.  
 
The Presidents hit a school-record four sac flies in the game one win. The offense, which has excelled throughout the season at putting up big numbers, proved it could win by moving runners and putting together productive situational at bats. The Presidents were also hit with six pitches in game one. 
 
Junior pitcher Ethan Marszalek (Katy, Texas/Seven Lakes) started on the mound for the Presidents and threw six shutout innings to pick up the victory. Marszalek allowed just three hits, walked three and struck out two to pick up his first win. 
 
The Presidents started out the game strong against Chatham's starting pitcher, Drew Schrek. Scout Zaas (Powell, Ohio / Wellington School) brought across the first run with an RBI single to right field that scored Jacob LaDuca (Canisius, N.Y./Clarence), who had walked and stole second earlier in the opening frame. 
 
In the third inning, Zac Stern (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) hit a sac fly to right field, allowing Drew Garth (Glenshaw, Pa./North Hills) to score and Nolan Lutz (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) to advance to third. Brody Bartenstein (Corning, N.Y./ Corning-Painted Post) followed with a sac fly to right field which sent Lutz across the plate. The fundamental hitting moved the W&J lead to 3-0. 
 
Dawson Morrow entered the game for the Cougars and took the mound, but the Presidents continued to extend their lead in the fifth inning when Eli Owens (Alexandria, Va./West Potomac) hit a sac fly to center field, scoring Andrew Miko (Portage, Pa./Portage) and advanced Bartenstein to third. Bartenstein was also able to score when LaDuca flied out to center a batter later. The two sac flies bolstered the Presidents lead to 5-0. 
 
The Presidents' final run was scored in the seventh when Lutz hit a single through the left side of the field to plate LaDuca, who had singled two batters earlier. 
 
The Cougars spoiled the Presidents' hopes of a shutout when Angelo DeLeonardis hit a triple to right center, scoring both Frankie DeLuca and Benny Dottle, making the score 6-2.
 
DeLeonardis then came home on a wild pitch to close the scoring at 6-3. 
 
Dante DiMatteo (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) worked the final three innings to record the save. DiMatteo struck out four and walked one. He allowed four hits and three runs with most of the damage coming in the ninth. The save is the 15^th in DiMatteo's collegiate career. 

LaDuca, the reigning PAC Hitter of the Week, continued his hot hitting with a three-hit performance in game one. LaDuca added a pair of stolen bases. In addition, Zaas and Stern turned in multi-hit performances. 
 
Game Two – W&J 3, Chatham 1
 
Anthony Pass (Clinton, Pa./West Allegheny) turned in his third straight stellar performance on the mound. The sophomore allowed just one unearned run in eight innings. Pass struck out eight and walked just one run. 
 
Pass has allowed just three runs over his past 25 innings. He has a 4-1 record on the season. 
 
Pass received all the support he needed in the bottom of the first inning. LaDuca tripled down the right field line to open the game. Garth then followed with a productive out, as his RBI groundout to second plated La Duca to make it 1-0. 
 
Lutz then drilled a ball over the left field fence. The solo shot made it 2-0. The home run was the first of the season for Lutz. W&J has hit 20 home runs this season. 
 
W&J manufactured another run in the third inning. With one out, Lutz walked and Zaas was hit by a pitch to set the table for another run. Some heady baserunning allowed Lutz to score on a groundout to second base by Stern. 
 
Chatham scored its only run of the game in the fourth. Benny Dottle led off with a double, moved to third on a sac bunt and scored on a passed ball. 
 
Neither team could push across a run the rest of the way. 
 
Senior pitcher Ethan Boring (Ligonier, Pa./Ligonier Valley) slammed the door in the ninth. Boring retired the Cougars to finish off the sweep. The three up and three down ninth helped Boring record his second save of 2024. 
 
Lutz reached base three times and scored twice in the nightcap. W&J was walked seven times and was hit by three more pitches in game two. 
 
On Deck: W&J remains at home and will host Franciscan University of Steubenville on Tuesday, April 9. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.