WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – A back-and-forth contest went the way of the Allegheny College baseball team as used 16 hits to score double-digit runs in its 10-8 victory over Salve Regina University this afternoon from the Chain O' Lakes Complex in Winter Haven, Florida.
Allegheny (4-4, 0-0 NCAC) put up crooked numbers in the third, fourth, and ninth innings, with the latter three-run frame providing insurance that the Gators would need in the bottom half to secure the victory.
Justin Stascak earned the victory on the hill by pitching 1.2 innings of relief in place of
Kyle O'Connell. O'Connell, in the second start of his career, struck out two and allowed three earned runs (five total) in 4.1 frames of work.
Robert Julian picked up the save by clamping down the Salve Regina (2-6, 0-0 ECAC) with one out in the ninth as he stranded a runner in scoring position with a groundout and strikeout.
Five Allegheny players registered multiple hits, including
Cullen Flaherty, who went 4-5 with a double, run scored, and run batted in from the nine hole.
Dan Bonnett continued his blistering start to the season with 3-for-6 day as he bashed his third homerun of the campaign in the top of the fourth inning.
The Seahawks struck first in the bottom half of the first when a sacrifice fly by Alex Perry scored Ryan Kelly. The Gators answered in the top of the second as
Vincent Carone ripped a single to centerfield, scoring
Chase Davis.
Another sacrifice fly gave Salve Regina the lead in the bottom half when Hunter Sleeper hit it deep enough to Flaherty.
Allegheny regained the advantage with three runs in the top of the third.
Joe Killian hit a chopper to the pitcher and reached with an overthrow, then moved to second after a Bonnett single.
Jacob Shick followed that up with a sacrifice bunt that was misplayed by the pitcher to load the bases.
Davis and
Shea Beaumont were retired in order, and it seemed like Salve Regina would get out of it, but an error on a Carone fielder's choice allowed Killian and Bonnett to cross the plate. Flaherty then tallied a third run with a single to left to score Shick, but Carone was cut down at home to end the frame.
The Seahawks cut it to 3-2 in the bottom half after an error scored Alex Perry.
The Gators responded with two in the top of the fourth as Killian kept the frame alive with a two-out triple and Bonnett hit a screaming liner over the leftfield wall for his second Sunshine State round-tripper this stint.
O'Connell was able to get the first out of the bottom of the fifth via groundout, but then hit Zack Smith to put him on. Colton Eremian made the sophomore southpaw pay with a two-run homer to left, forcing the Allegheny coaching staff to make the switch and bring in Stascak. The junior right-hander closed the inning by sandwiching a bunt single with a groundout and popout.
The Gators added another run in the sixth with a Shick RBI double that scored Killian.
Stascak allowed one baserunner in the bottom half and gave up a lead-off single to Zack Smith, forcing another change.
Cy Perry came on in relief and allowed that run to score on a passed ball and sacrifice fly, but he limited the damage by not allowing a hit during the frame.
Perry followed up his strong seventh inning with a perfect eighth, forcing a groundout to Killian and two flyouts to Flaherty.
Allegheny tacked on two much-needed insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Flaherty ripped a two-out double to left and an infield single by
Austin Bristol put runners on the corners for
Robert DiMaggio. A long at-bat by DiMaggio concluded with a two-run double to left, and Killian brought in the junior outfielder with a single to center.
Perry put on the lead-off guy with a walk to start the bottom half and gave up a one-out double to put two runners in scoring position. Eremian followed that up with a grounder to short that seemed to nab one run, but an overthrow by Shick allowed another to cross without an out.
Julian came on in relief after the mishap and promptly forced a full-count groundout and a strikeout swinging to end the game.
Perry provided the Gators with 2.1 innings of relief, allowing just one hit and one walk to go along with two unearned runs.
Allegheny closes its annual spring break trip to Florida tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. with a double-header against Oswego State University.
