FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Jake Trahin did have a class to get to, so he just smacked a walk-off eighth inning solo home run to lift the University of Saint Francis to a 3-2 win over Purdue-North Central on Wednesday evening around 6:10.

  Trahin's first collegiate career home run secured a sweep over the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Panthers. USF won Game 1 5-1 behind a complete game effort from lefty Tristen Peffley and a 3-run, two-out Travis Potchka double.

  "I do have a class, but I thought I'd just flown out," Trahin said, still shakin' his head in disbelief. "I don't know what kind of pitch I hit, I still can't believe it."

  The USF left fielder hammered a 1-1 pitch and with a little help from the breeze blowing out of the east, his fly went big fly with no chance for the left fielder to snag it as it cleared the fence.

   "He has a tendency to talk and I told him it had been awhile since he had a hit, he could talk when he got a hit," USF coach Greg Roberts said. "I guess he earned a little time to talk. It was kind of humorous to see him at a loss for words after he hit that home run."

  Equally as important was a major-league snare by Travis Potchka in the top of the seventh inning. He chased down a line drive in the right center gap with a full-extension diving catch to maintain a tie at 2.

  "If he doesn't make that catch, Jake's home run may not have meant anything," Roberts said. "That's got to be one of the best catches I've ever seen."

  With Brok Lahrman pitching in relief of starter Greg Kerro, Potchka's catch helped make up somewhat for two errors in the inning. The most costly was on a single to right that Nate Long misplayed allowing the PNC runner to move into scoring position.

  Long singled to drive in Austin Leisure with the Cougar's first run in the second inning. Taylor Futterknecht's two-out single in the third scored Jon Saporsantos for a 2-0 USF lead. A Dave Dickerson homer cut the USF lead to 2-1 in the fifth. In the sixth runners at first and second with two outs, Lahrman only needed one pitch to get Dickerson to fly to Long in right to end the threat.

    Now 23-25 and two wins away from tying the USF record for wins in a season, the Cougars play their final double-header in MCC play on Thursday at Taylor starting at 1 p.m. in Upland, Ind.

    -- Go USF --