Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny offense made a massive splash on Sunday, helping lead the Gators to a two-game sweep over North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opponent Hiram Terriers on Sunday in their home opener at Robertson Complex.  Allegheny won game one in comeback fashion, picking up a 5-3 win before erupting for a dozen runs in a 12-2, game two victory.

Junior Mike Pezzone led the Allegheny offensive charge once again on Sunday, finishing 4-for-7, scoring three runs while driving in a run in the second game.  Seniors Eric Brandt and Brandon Ellis picked up wins on the mound, as Brandt pitched 5.0 innings, allowing three hits and striking out two while Ellis pitched 6.0 innings, only allowing two runs.  Junior Ben Murray picked up the game-winning hit in game one, connecting on a two-run single that snapped a fifth-inning tie.  Fellow third year Eric Weyant led the Gators with two RBI in game two.

Sophomore Hayden Smith connected in game two for a home run, the first of his career, in his first home at-bat of the 2014 season.  Fellow second year Joe Killian combined for three hits over the two games as junior Zach Gray went a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate in game two, scoring three runs while driving in another.  Senior Shane Regel went 2-for-4 in game two, as senior Kyle Davis batted 2-for-4 in the first game.

After a scoreless first inning, junior Adam Bronson led off the inning with a single to right center.  A walk to Bronson and a sac bunt by freshman Sean Green pushed Bronson to third before a single to left by Weyant opened the scoring with a single to left.  Davis singled down the left field line to continue the scoring in the second, picking up an RBI and scoring Weyant. 

Pezzone led off the third with a single through the right side, moving to third after a single down the right field line by Killian.  A groundout by Bronson scored Pezzone, giving the Gators a 3-0 lead heading into the fifth.
 
Hiram tied the game with a three-run, five-hit fifth, leaving a pair of runners aboard as Brandt was able to work his way out of a jam without giving the Terriers the lead. 

A lead-off walk to Pezzone put a runner in scoring position after Killian reached base on an error.  A sacrifice bunt by Gray put two runners in scoring position, and Murray made the Terriers pay for their miscues with a two-run single to right, giving the Gators the 5-3 lead. 

Freshman Chase Boyer closed the door on a Hiram comeback, retiring the Terriers in order in the sixth and avoiding a two-on, two-out jam in the seventh with his second strikeout of the afternoon, clinching the game and his second save of the season.
 
The Terriers took an early lead after a first inning home run, but the Allegheny offense struck in the third, picking up three runs on three hits.  Killian opened the inning with a single up the middle to jump-start three consecutive Allegheny hits, as a double by Gray scored Killian followed by a single by Bronson that brought home the Allegheny junior.  Bronson came home after stealing third, then racing home after a throwing error by the Hiram catcher.

Hiram grabbed a run in the top of the fourth, but the Gators erupted for four runs in the bottom of the fifth.  Davis was walked to lead off the inning, scoring after a double down the left field line by Pezzone.  Killian drove home Pezzone with a single, who later scored on a sacrifice fly by Weyant.  Regel capped the inning with a single to left, scoring Gray, who singled earlier in the inning.

The Allegheny scoring spree continued with a three-run seventh, sparked with a double to left by Gray, was followed by Weyant's single through the left side, which scored Gray and increased the Allegheny lead to 8-2.  Freshman Jacob Shick joined the hit parade with a single up the middle to score Weyant before back-to-back errors by Hiram opened the door for two more runs by the Gators. 

Smith's home run capped Allegheny's scoring for the afternoon, helping the Gators tie their second-highest single-game output of the season while moving to the third in the conference standings.

Allegheny will next travel to Erie, Pa. for a 2 p.m. matchup with Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) member Penn State-Behrend before returning home for a four-game, NCAC series against Oberlin on Apr. 12 and 13.