The Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cat’s baseball team swept Mount Aloysius Mountaineers in a fall scrimmage Saturday afternoon at Mount Aloysius.

Pitt-Johnstown junior pitcher Ben Foose said he liked how the team played.

“Things are starting to come together. We did some things well, while other things we still need to keep working hard and improve on,” Foose said.

Senior pitcher Brad Coleman said the scrimmage was a great opportunity for the team’s inexperienced players to show their talent and get comfortable playing collegiate baseball.

“We always enjoy going up there to showcase ourselves as a team and value the progress we’ve made since the beginning of the fall,” Coleman said.

Junior catcher Scott Thompson said the freshman are starting to learn more and are becoming better as the year moves on.

“I believe this year will be one of the better ones. It has a different feel to it so far. It’s one to look forward to. The upperclassmen are working and the freshman have stepped up showing what they can do to help the team.

“The pitching staff has already gone above and beyond this season compared with last year. They’ll help us continue to grow, be ready for the upcoming season and become more consistent in the future,” Thompson said.

Along with the freshman, new additions to the Mountain Cat staff have benefited the team as well.

Former pitcher Ty Black is the new strength and conditioning student assistant, former infield Joe Gagliardi is helping the infielders along with a new assistant coach, Rick Roberts, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization as a lefty pitcher for 10 seasons.

Black said practices are more structured and fundamental this season.

“Pitching will struggle because they’re young and most guys haven’t seen college competition yet, but there is a lot of potential in the team, and they will gain confidence throughout the season as well,” Black said.

Thompson said Black has put the team in a positive direction, is making the team stronger and is helping them stay motivated with work outs.

“He’s helped us all get stronger and more conditioned to be ready for the long season,” Thompson said.

Coleman said he confidently believes having Roberts with the team this year will be a great step forward for the pitching staff, has set the foundation for the younger guys and for guys to come.

“He knows the game better than most people and will be a vital asset for our team this year,” Coleman said.