BETHANY, W.Va. - The Westminster College baseball team split a doubleheader at Bethany College in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action on Saturday afternoon. The Titans won game one, 3-1, and dropped the second game, 11-6.
 
In game one, Westminster (12-20, 7-13 PAC) got on the board early with two runs in the top of the first inning. The inning was capped off by an RBI-single by junior Jaret Johnson (Niles, OH / Niles McKinley), whose base hit gave the Titans a 2-0 lead. Bethany (24-12, 14-9 PAC) tacked on a run in the third inning to make the score 2-1. However, the Titans responded with an insurance run in the sixth inning, courtesy of an RBI-single by senior Dante Parente (Beaver Falls, PA / Blackhawk) to give the Titans a 3-1 lead. That lead would be enough for Parente on the mound. He tossed seven innings, scattered six hits, and gave up one earned run to go along with six strikeouts in the victory. Parente, and freshmen Dawson Porter (Kittaning, PA / Armstrong) and Seth Schrader (Fredonia, NY / Fredonia) each tallied two hits in the game.
 
In game two, the Titans once again scored in the first inning when Porter knocked home an RBI-double to give them a 1-0 lead. The Bison fired back with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. One inning later, Titan freshman Sean Davis (Sharpsville, PA / Sharpesville) delivered an RBI-single, and was followed by a sacrifice fly by senior Hunter Alexander (Beaver Falls, PA / Blackhawk) to knot the game up at 3-3. The Bison took the lead back with a run in the fourth inning, and held the lead for the rest of the game. The Titans went on to score three more runs in the game, most notably Porter's two-run home run (the second long ball of his career) in the ninth inning. The Bison totaled eight more runs. Porter led the way offensively for the Titans, going 4-for-5 in game two with a run scored and three RBIs. Junior Emilio Rivera (Tampa, FL / Armwood) started on the mound, giving up four hits and four earned runs. Junior Dante Sienko (Wexford, PA / Pine-Richland), and freshmen Zach Zeis (Gibsonia, PA / Pine-Richland), Brandon Cooper (Oakdale, PA / West Allegheny), and Logan Minch (Grove City, PA / Grove City Area) each contributed at least an inning on the mound for the Titans.
 
Westminster will be back on the diamond at home Sunday, April 28 when it concludes its series against the Bison. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

*Written by Mike Boucher