Shane Melhorn and Shayne Busti Both Homer and Combine for Seven RBIs in Sweep of Fairmont State



Shane Melhorn homered and drove in five runs in second game win at Fairmont State

March 24, 2008

Shayne Busti hit a two-run homer in a 6-3 win in the first game and Shane Melhorn homered and drove in five runs in a 12-8 victory in the nightcap as IUP swept Fairmont State to run its winning streak to six games.

With a record of 16-4, the Crimson Hawks are off to their best 20-game start since 1990 when IUP won its most recent PSAC championship and appeared in the NCAA tournament. The best start after 20 games came in 1988 when IUP won 18 times.

In the opener against Fairmont State (6-16), Dan Snyder allowed six hits and one unearned run in five innings. He walked one and struck out eight in improving to 5-0 on the year. Corey Betz came in with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh and allowed an RBI single before pitching out of the jam to gain his third save of the year.

The Crimson Hawks scored twice in the first on a single by Paul Bingham and sacrifice fly by T.J. Nichols. Busti hit his fourth homer of the year and Shawn Schwarz doubled in a run in a four-run third that gave IUP breathing room at 6-0.

Snyder pitched himself into and out of jams in each of his five innings. The Falcons got at least one hit in each frame but only scored in the fifth with an error playing a big role in Fairmont State ending Snyder's shutout bid.

In the second game, IUP struck for four runs in the first including a two-run double by Kyle Stryker, one of his three hits in the game. The Crimson Hawks added four more in the fourth to build an 8-0 lead, with Melhorn and Jamie Smith both driving in a pair of runs with doubles.

Fairmont State battled back with six runs in the fifth. The Falcons got only two hits in the inning but took advantage of an error, two hit batters, a walk and a wild pitch, with Nick Demus capping the rally with a three-run homer.

IUP answered in the sixth when Matt Duda walked, Smith bunted for a single and Melhorn blasted a three-run homer, tying him with Busti for the team lead with four, to make it 11-6.

IUP will play its first game against a Division I opponent in 12 years on Tuesday when it travels to Youngstown State for a single nine-inning game. IUP played Pitt and Boston College on its spring trip to Florida in 1996 and will be looking for its first win over a Division I opponent since defeating Radford in its 1994 season opener.