AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Allegheny College baseball team batted around in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the eight-run frame couldn't fully erase an 11-1 deficit as the Gators fell to Union (N.Y.) College, 11-9, this afternoon from Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, Florida.
Allegheny (3-4, 0-0 NCAC) bashed 13 hits, with five players (
Dan Bonnett,
Austin Bristol,
Vincent Carone,
Chase Davis,
Jacob Shick) each collecting two apiece.
Union (4-3, 0-0 LL) struck quickly when Eric Egan smacked a three-run homerun off Gator starting pitcher
Wyatt Sibiga. The Dutchmen added another run in their next at-bats as a fielder's choice by Jake Fishman plated Devin Coffey.
The blue and gold were able to get that run back in the bottom half of the second. Bonnett led off the frame with a walk and advanced to second on a passed ball.
Tyler Wagner followed that up with own free pass, while Bonnett moved to third on a second mishap by the Union catcher. After a strikeout by Shick, Carone roped a single to right to score Bonnett, but the Dutchmen were able to limit the damage after Wagner was thrown out at home following a dropped fly ball.
Union scored one in the third on two doubles and plated six in the top of the fifth to take a commanding 11-1 advantage.
Allegheny sent 14 batters to the plate in an eight-run bottom of the sixth. The Dutchmen went to their pen after Tim Curtis gave them five innings of one-run ball, but the Gators clobbered southpaws Jordan Whaley and Max Galfus with seven hits and a walk.
Bonnett led the frame with a single to short and
Shea Beaumont worked a long at-bat before smacking a hit to right. Shick followed that up with a liner in front of the centerfielder to load the bases, then two wild pitches scored Bonnett and Beaumont.
Carone grounded out to short to score another run, and Davis reached base on a single to second base. Whaley was replaced by Galfus after the infield hit and picked up a flyout by
Andrew Dawson, but the Allegheny offense kept trucking with a Bristol single to center.
DiMaggio nearly bashed a three-run homer to left, but settled for a RBI ground-rule double when it bounced just in front of the fence.
Joe Killian then walked to load the bases once more, and Bonnett smacked a single to right to plate two. Beaumont was then hit by a pitch to add another duck to the pond, and Shick roped another two-run single – this one to left.
Carone ripped a single off the pitcher's hand to again load the bases, but Matt Yonta was able to get Davis to fly out and finally end the inning.
Joe Nagel entered the game in the top of the seventh and provided the Gators with three shutout inning. The freshman right-hander opened his career by issuing a free pass, but it did no damage after a sacrifice bunt, swinging strikeout, and a groundout to third.
Brandon Pouch pinch-hit for Dawson to lead off the bottom half and singled the other way. However, Allegheny was unable to do anything with the hit as a fielder's choice, strikeout, and foulout ended the frame.
Nagel allowed two singles in the top of the eighth, but DiMaggio cut a runner down at third base to keep Union from plating an insurance run.
Beaumont worked another good at-bat in the bottom half and launched a fastball to the wall, but it died at the warning track.
Following Nagel's third scoreless inning of work, the Dutchmen brought in Bill Christopher to pick up the save. Carone worked the count full before grounding out to short, but Davis followed that up with a double to left. The Gators couldn't push the runs they needed across however, as
Ethan Pawlak went down swinging and Bristol grounded out to second to end the contest.
Sibiga struck out five in 4.2 innings of work, but allowed 11 hits and eight runs to pick up the loss.
Clay Coon gave up three runs in 1.1 innings pitched, while Nagel scattered five baserunners (three hits, two walks) in the final three frames.
Allegheny continues its Sunshine State stint tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. when it faces Salve Regina.
