MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny College baseball team salvaged a series split with Hiram College with an 8-1 victory in the second game this afternoon, thanks in part to a complete game gem by
Wyatt Sibiga.
For the second consecutive home start, Sibiga went the full nine innings as Allegheny (11-12, 4-4 NCAC) was never threatened in the nightcap of today's double-header. The rookie right-hander allowed seven hits, one walk, and one run, striking out seven while generating 10 groundouts and 10 flyouts.
Since being tagged for eight runs in his first career start against Union (N.Y.), Sibiga has lowered his earned run average from 15.88 to 4.14. Over this stretch, the freshman from Springville, N.Y., has allowed seven earned runs in 31.1 innings of work and owns a 17-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The Gators were held scoreless in the first two innings before breaking out for three runs in the third.
Austin Bristol began the frame with a single and moved into scoring position with an
Andrew Dawson sacrifice bunt. In just the second start of his career,
Brandon Pouch contributed with a RBI double down the right field line to score Bristol. Walks to
Robert DiMaggio and
Joe Killian loaded the bases for
Tyler Wagner, who generated a run with a long fly to right.
Shea Beaumont and
Dan Bonnett then worked the count for back-to-back free passes, bringing in another run to make it 3-0.
Hiram (5-19, 2-8 NCAC) cut the deficit to 3-1 with a run in the top of the sixth. With a man at third and two outs, Trevor Foster ripped a single to the right side, glancing off the glove of a diving
Ethan Pawlak to bring Bryan Endgahl across the plate.
Allegheny put the game away with four runs in the bottom of the seventh. Killian led off the stanza with a double down the third base line and scored on a Beaumont opposite-field single. Bonnett followed that with a base hit of his own, putting two on for Pawlak. Pawlak added a single to right and moved into scoring position when the throw home sailed over the catcher's head. Bristol then completed the Gator attack with a two-run base hit to left, setting the score at 7-1.
Beaumont struck again in the eighth inning, ripping another opposite-field shot for two bases and a run batted in.
Sibiga closed out his gem by going through four batters in the ninth as a two-out infield single by Brandon Gros was the lone blemish.
The Gators dropped this afternoon's opener to the Terriers, 5-3.
Foster opened the scoring with a solo shot to center in the top of the second, but Killian answered with his own round-tripper in the bottom half to make it 1-1.
Allegheny went up 2-1 in the bottom of the third courtesy of a Wagner RBI single that scored
Cullen Flaherty.
A throwing error by
Patrick Orr in the top of the fourth brought in the tying run for Hiram. The visitors then tallied two in the fifth with a Phil Ward homerun.
The Gators cut the gap to one when a pair of fielding mishaps allowed Killian to score from second during a Wagner at-bat. However, that one-run deficit would turn into two in the top of the seventh when a wild pitch brought in Engdahl.
Orr took the loss, giving up five hits and five runs (four earned) in 6.1 innings. He struck out five and issued five free passes.
Kyle Watson picked up the win for the Terriers, working around five hits and four walks in 5.1 innings of work. Ryan Fedor struck out three and put on just one baserunner in 1.2 innings to earn the save.
Allegheny returns to non-conference action on Thursday, April 21 when it travels to Penn State-Behrend.
