MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Gators opened the 2015 home campaign on Wednesday against Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) member John Carroll, as the Blue Streaks improved their winning streak to 13 games with an 8-2 decision over Allegheny at Robertson Complex.
The top of the Allegheny order produced the entirety of the Gator offense, as hitters one through five combined for all six Allegheny hits while batters six through nine went a combined 0-for-14. Sophomore
Jacob Shick went 2-for-4 against John Carroll, scoring a run, as junior
Joe Killian finished 1-for-3 with a run driven in on a sacrifice fly.
Gator first year
Dan Bonnett along with seniors
Adam Bronson and
Zach Gray also picked up hits, as Bronson scored a run for the Gators. Sophomore
Patrick Orr started the game on the mound, striking out a career-high eight batters in the loss.
Orr went right to work in the top of the first, retiring the Blue Streaks in order as Allegheny was able to take an early lead in the bottom of the frame. Bronson singled up the middle with one out in the bottom of the first, as a single by Gray put runners at the corners. Killian flied out to right, but hit the ball deep enough to score Bronson, giving the squad the early, 1-0 lead.
John Carroll tied the ballgame in the top of the second, taking the lead with a three-run fourth inning on one hit and a pair of Gator errors, holding the Blue and Gold to three hits from the second to sixth inning while building a 5-1 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Shick reached base on a fielder's choice, scoring on a John Carroll error to bring the Gators to within three runs, but a run in the seventh by John Carroll combined with a pair of insurance runs in the ninth essentially shut the door on a Gator rally.
Allegheny batters were retired in order in the seventh and eighth innings and had a runner at third with two outs but was unable to continue the rally as the Blue Streaks bullpen clinched the win, allowing only one Gator hit over the final three innings of the game.
The Gators will next battle Case Western Reserve on Friday, April 3rd at 4 p.m. before returning home to host the Spartans on Saturday, April 4th in a 12 p.m. doubleheader.
