WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Pitching ruled the day once again for the Washington & Jefferson College baseball team on Saturday. Henry Litman (Marietta, Ga./Walton) and Dante DiMatteo (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) limited Bethany to just three hits in the opener as the Presidents claimed a 5-2 victory. Tyler Horvat (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford) went the distance in game two, as the junior tossed a complete game shutout in the 6-0 win. 

Game One - W&J 5, Bethany 2 

The Bison gained an early lead on a solo home run by Cameron Schaub in the top of the second inning. However, that lead was short-lived, as W&J pounced for four runs in the bottom of the second to take control of the game. Freshman DH Scout Zaas (Powell, Ohio/Wellington School) ignited the rally with a leadoff double. Following a walk by Roman Samson (Tampa, Fla./Berkeley Prep), Joe Lehner (Painesville, Ohio/Lake Catholic) drilled an RBI double to right center and score Zaas. 

A misplay by Bethany right fielder Dezmond Franklin gave W&J a 2-1 lead as Jason Gregovits (Avon Lake, Ohio/Avon Lake) reached base. Horvat followed with an RBI single to plate Lehner. An RBI groundout by Nate Rush(Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School) scored Gregovits to make it 4-1 W&J. 

W&J manufactured a run in the fifth. Horvat drew a leadoff walk and advanced all the way to third base on a sac bunt by Rush. Peter Kalinski (Washington, D.C./Saint John's College) sent Horvat home with a sac fly to right field.

The Bison cut the deficit to 5-2 when Michael Whiteherse reached base on a hit by pitch before stealing both second and third and scoring on an RBI single by Luke Beatty. 

Litman worked 6.0 strong innings to improve his record to 3-2 in 2022. He allowed two runs on three hits. Litman struck out four and did not issue a walk. 

DiMatteo registered his fifth save of the season by retiring the side in order to nail down the victory. Zaas paced W&J with a pair of hits in game one. 


Game Two - W&J 6, Bethany 0

Horvat needed just 87 pitches to toss the complete game shutout in game two. The junior scattered four hits and did not issue a walk. He struck out five Bison batters. Horvat retired the side in order five times in nine innings Saturday.

W&J got the only run it would need in the bottom of the first inning. A sac fly by Evan Sante (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) scored Rush to give W&J a 1-0 lead after the first. 

The Presidents broke open a close game in the bottom of the sixth when they got to Bethany starter Trey Mantle. Lehner led off with a double and scored on an error by Bison third baseman Grant Shaffner. Jacob LaDuca(Clarence, N.Y./Canisius) produced the big hit of the inning, as the freshman slapped a two-run single to right field to swell the lead to 4-0. Later in the inning, Horvat helped himself as his RBI single to left field scored LaDuca. 

In the eighth inning, a RBI single by LaDuca scored Kalinski and chased Mantle as W&J led by a 6-0 score. 

LaDuca was a catalyst offensively with a 3-for-5 effort in game two. LaDuca finished with three RBI and a run scored. Horvat added three hits while Sante and Dan Beistel (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) produced two hits apiece.