Weekend College Top 10: W&J, La Roche baseball punch NCAA tickets

Every Monday, the Tribune-Review will highlight 10 top area college performances from the weekend:

1. W&J baseball dominates en route to PAC championship

Santino Platt (Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) allowed one run in seven innings, and Joey Bolick (Pine-Richland) finished 3 for 5 as the top-seeded Presidents toppled fourth-seeded Bethany, 8-1, in the title game Saturday. James Artale added two hits and two RBIs for W&J (32-11), which earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament and visits Salisbury (Md.) on Friday.

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2. La Roche baseball wins 6th straight AMCC title

Tristin Tinney struck out eight in seven shutout innings, and the Redhawks extended their dominance in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference with a 6-0 win over Penn State Altoona on Saturday. Joe Professori (Pine-Richland) drove in two runs, becoming the school’s all-time RBI leader, and Shane Roebuck homered, tying the the Redhawks’ career record. La Roche (30-13) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, where it opens against Denison on Friday at Adrian (Mich.).

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3. Pitt baseball take 2 of 3 from No. 11 UNC

Bryce O’Farrell drove in three runs, and Cole MacLaren hit a two-run homer as the Panthers beat North Carolina, 7-3, in the second game of an ACC doubleheader Saturday. The Panthers lost the first game 10-6 despite three RBIs from Zach Klapak. Pitt (20-31, 7-20) took the series opener 7-1 on Friday as O’Farrell went 3 for 5 with a run and an RBI.

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4. No. 1 PSU lacrosse opens NCAAs with rout

Mac O’Keefe scored six goals — breaking the Big Ten’s single-season record — and the Nittany Lions topped UMBC, 25-10, on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament. O’Keefe surpassed the record of 61 goals by Ryan Brown of Johns Hopkins. Jack Kelly also had six goals for Penn State (15-1), which faces Loyola (Md.) on Sunday.

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5. Slippery Rock women win 1st PSAC track title since 2009

The Rock snapped Shippensburg’s streak of nine straight championships, taking the lead after Friday’s events and never giving it up Saturday. Slippery Rock was led by first-place finishes from Courtney McQuaide (Greensburg Salem) in the pole vault and Cecily Greggs in the high jump.

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6. Record finish for Pitt men’s track at ACC championships

Three Panthers earned first-team all-conference selections, leading Pitt to fourth place Saturday at Virginia. The Panthers’ 62 points trailed Virginia Tech (123), Virginia (117) and Florida State (102.5). Nate Sloan took second in the 1,500 meters, Daveon Finley placed second in the 110 hurdles and Greg Lauray earned silver in the high jump.

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7. Cal (Pa.)’s Means defends titles at PSACs

Jae’Len Means (Gateway) took first in the 100- and 200-meter dashes at Saturday’s conference championships, giving him a combined eight PSAC golds in his career in indoor and outdoor. Shippensburg won its 11th straight team title, and Slippery Rock was second.

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8. RMU men’s lacrosse team’s run ends

Robert Morris’ program-record eight-game winning streak ended with a 19-10 loss to No. 3 Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. Corson Kealey scored four goals for the Colonials (9-8), and Tyson Gibson had two goals and five assists.

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9. Saint Vincent softball ousted in NCAAs

Alona Sleith (Yough) hit a two-run homer, but the Bearcats lost to Maryville (Tenn.), 5-3, in the NCAA Division III Tournament on Saturday. Saint Vincent finished 29-16, tying the school’s single-season record for wins.

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10. Penn State’s Rivers wins 2 events at Big Ten championships

Danae Rivers placed first in the 1,500 and 800 meters over the weekend in Iowa as the Nittany Lions women finished sixth out of 13 teams. Alexis Holmes won the 400 for Penn State. On the men’s side, Morgan Shigo became the Nittany Lions’ first hammer-throw champion as the team finished ninth.