WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson baseball team continued to roll in PAC play with a pair of wins over Chatham on Friday, March 29, at Ross Memorial Park. 

With the two victories tonight, the Red & Black improve to 12-7 on the season, as they have won nine consecutive games. The Presidents' last win streak of at least nine games came in the 2017 season, when they won 10 straight to begin league play. W&J is 7-0 in the PAC this year, with all of the wins coming during their current streak. 


Game One
W&J topped the Cougars by a 7-3 final score in game one behind a combination of strong pitching and clutch hitting. 

The Presidents opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a home run from Spencer Howell (Oakwood, Ohio/Oakwood), his first as a senior. The Oakwood, Ohio native slammed a ball over the left field wall to put W&J up 1-0. 

The Red & Black added to their lead in the second and third innings, taking a 6-0 advantage after three. Both Dante Dalesandro (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) and Mullen Socha (Independence, Ohio/St. Ignatius) tallied two-run hits in the second frame to fuel the Presidents' offense. 

Chatham made a run in the fifth, cutting their deficit to three, 6-3, after a three-run inning. The Cougars would not score for the remainder of the game, however, falling to the Red & Black by a 7-3 final score.  

On the pitching mound, W&J's starter Ben Marsico (Bradford Woods, Pa./North Allegheny) went 6.0 innings, allowing three runs in a winning effort. With the victory, Marsico improves to 3-1 on the season, winning his last two starts. 

Henry Litman (Marietta, Ga./Walton) pitched the final inning, allowing no runs for his fifth consecutive scoreless appearance. 


Game Two
W&J took game two by a convincing 13-2 final score. The Red & Black earned the victory in the nightcap by tallying a season-high tying 16 hits. 

Finding itself down 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning, the Red & Black began to rally. With a single and two consecutive walks to start the frame, W&J was in prime position to put up runs. James Artale (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) began the scoring surge with an RBI single. Socha scored the next run, getting home from third on a wild pitch. 

The high-scoring frame was highlighted by a three-run blast from Adam Moore (Olean, N.Y./Archbishop Walsh). The 6-foot-3-inch first baseman hammered a 3-0 pitch over the left center fence for his first home run while donning the Red & Black. 

The W&J lead grew to six after a three-run sixth inning. The inning's focal point was a gutsy double steal call. Taking advantage of the opposing pitcher's windup, Cole Reese (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) swiped home and Dalesandro took third. Dalesandro also scored on the play due to the pitch getting away from the catcher. 

W&J added five runs over the seventh and eighth innings to secure a convincing 13-2 triumph. The Presidents have tallied three double-digit wins in conference this year, as they have won seven PAC games by a combined score of 77-23. 

Dalesandro had one of the best performances at the plate in his collegiate career in game two, tallying a career-high four hits, to go along with three RBI and two runs scored. Adam Jaworski (Canonsburg, Pa./Peters Township) also had a career day with three hits and two runs scored, both of which are career highs. 

Santino Platt (Pittsburgh, Pa./OLSH) got the start on the mound for the Presidents, earning his second win of the year by pitching 5.0 innings of two-run ball. Both Mitchell Taufer (Washington, Pa./Bishop Canevin) and Clay Martin(Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) pitched two scoreless innings to close out the game. 

The Red & Black conclude their regular-season series against Chatham on Sunday, March 31, with a 1 p.m. showdown at West Field in Munhall, Pa.