MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny College baseball team rallied from a four-run deficit in the top of the ninth inning to tie its game with Thiel College, but the Tomcats answered with the winning run in the bottom half to defeat the Gators, 8-7, this afternoon in a non-conference contest.
Allegheny (4-6, 0-0 NCAC) outhit Thiel (11-3, 0-0 PAC), 11-10, but fell behind by two runs in the first inning and didn't recover until its last at-bats.
Joe Killian went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI for the Gators, while
Ethan Pawlak also tallied multiple hits (2-5) in his first start at shortstop.
Dan Bonnett was able to bring home a run in the fifth and ninth across his four at-bats.
After the Tomcats scored two runs in the bottom of the first, Allegheny cut the deficit in half with a run in the top of the third.
Brandon Pouch worked a two-out walk and gave way to
Cullen Flaherty to pinch-run.
Robert DiMaggio then reached base on an error, setting the table for Killian to rip a single to center that scored Flaherty.
Thiel responded with two runs in the bottom half as a Josh Doody groundout and Brian Genco single plated a pair to make it 4-1.
The Gators again trimmed the gap to one with two runs in the top of the fifth. DiMaggio roped a one-out single to left and then advanced to third on two wild pitches. Killian worked a walk to follow that, and Bonnett brought home the junior outfielder with an infield single. After
Tyler Wagner loaded the bases following a hit-by-pitch, Pawlak capitalized on a prime RBI chance with a single to right.
The hosts tacked on runs in the bottom of the fifth and seventh with a RBI triple and two-run homerun to set the score at 7-3.
Allegheny was able to rally for four runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game. Throwing errors allowed
Jacob Shick and
Austin Bristol to reach, with Shick scoring on the Bristol at-bat. Flaherty then bashed a single and another fielding mishap loaded the bases for Killian. The senior scored one on an infield single to make it 7-5, and Bonnett cut it to 7-6 with a sacrifice fly to right.
However, Killian was cut down trying to advance to second on the flyball, forcing the Gators to their final out with the tying run on third.
Antonio Viviano was then put in a big spot for his first collegiate at-bat as he pinch hit for
Shea Beaumont, but the move worked as he smacked a line-drive single to left to score DiMaggio.
Defensive mishaps and some tough luck gave the game to the Tomcats in the bottom half. Matt Elko led the frame off with a seeing-eye single between first and second, and advanced to third after a tailor made double play ball was booted. After Trent Smith was intentionally walked to put the force at home, a grounder to second base forced a hurried and high throw, allowing Elko to slide in under a tag attempt for the winning run.
Patrick Orr started for the Gators and allowed four runs (three earned) in three innings.
Hayden Smith also allowed three earned runs in three innings, but
Cy Perry shut the Thiel offense down with two strikeouts and four groundouts in two frames of work.
Robert Julian took the loss after the aforementioned sequence in the bottom of the ninth.
Riley Schwertz picked up the win for the Tomcats as he pitched four innings in relief, allowing four runs (none earned) and three hits while striking out one.
Allegheny is back in action tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. for a home double-header against Baldwin Wallace.
