WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – An opportunistic offense provided the Allegheny College baseball team with enough runs to earn its first victory in the Sunshine State as the Gators defeated Kalamazoo College, 7-3, this afternoon from Chain of Lakes Park.
Four Allegheny (3-3, 0-0 NCAC) players collected multiple hits as it tallied nine as a team.
Patrick Orr earned the victory on the mound, allowing one run through six innings of work with two strikeouts.
The Gators opened the scoring when
Robert DiMaggio ripped a one-out triple down the right field line and scored on a
Joe Killian single to left. Orr followed that up by getting out a jam, beginning by loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the first following an
Austin Bristol error, walk, and hit-by-pitch. However, was able to escape without any damage by getting two Kalamazoo hitters (3-4-1, 0-0 MIAC) to popout and groundout.
Allegheny added two more runs in the top of the third inning.
Vincent Carone, who was making the first start of his career, led off the frame with a single to left and was called safe at second on a Bristol fielder's choice. Killian then ripped a shot just to the right of the bag that glanced off the second baseman's glove, allowing the freshman duo to cross the plate on the mishap.
Carone then showed off his arm in the bottom half, cutting down David Krecht at second to end the frame. It was one of two caught stealings for the freshman catcher, who also threw out Mitchell VanKoevering to end the bottom of the sixth.
The Hornets cut the Gators' lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Orr put on the first two batters via walks and VanKoevering moved them over with a sacrifice bunt. Todd Bonnivier then laced a liner off the shin of Orr, but only one run crossed the plate as the junior right-hander gathered himself and tagged Bonnivier out.
Allegheny added two more in the top of the sixth when
Dan Bonnett turned on a fastball and drilled it over the left centerfield wall, landing past the light post between the 340 and 380 marks. Killian scored on the moonshot, making it 5-1.
Orr generated two groundouts in the bottom half before allowing a two-out walk to VanKoevering. As aforementioned however, Carone made sure the side was retired in order by cutting down a steal attempt.
Hayden Smith entered the game in the bottom of the seventh and sandwiched a flyout between two hit-by-pitches. He made it through the frame unscathed though as Ryan Orr grounded into a routine 4-6-3 double play to close the inning.
Kalamazoo cut the deficit to two once more when Connor Grant smacked a two-run homerun down the leftfield line.
The Gators would get those runs back in the top of the ninth. Carone ripped a one-out double into the gap and
Andrew Dawson followed that up with a single through the right side. The freshman catcher then scored on a passed ball, and Dawson crossed the plate after DiMaggio roped a single into left.
Smith struck out two in the ninth to pick up a three-inning save.
Brandon DeFore was saddled with the loss after allowed three hits and three runs (one earned) through 2.1 innings.
Allegheny continues its stint in the Sunshine State tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. when it faces Union College in Auburndale.
