MEADVILLE, Pa. - Behind a pair of stellar pitching performances, the Allegheny baseball team earned a home sweep over Kenyon in a North Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader at the Robertson Athletic Complex, as the Gators won the opener 9-1, before earning a 4-2 victory in the nightcap.

In game one, freshman Jarod Deagan, making his first career home start, threw a complete game, allowing just one run on seven hits with seven strikeouts. In the nightcap, classmate Nate Pastorek earned the victory after starting and working seven shutout innings, allowing five hits with five K's.

The sweep allowed the Gators to close the opening weekend of NCAC play with a 3-1 mark, while they improved to 12-6 overall.

GAME ONE - Allegheny 9, Kenyon 1
In the opener, a big bottom of the second inning by the Gators provided Deagan with all of the offense he would need for the day.

Tyler Wagner opened the frame with a single, and after a quick out, Chase Davis followed suit.  Vincent Carone would then find the hit column with a knock to left field to score Wagner, before Patrick Orr smacked a one-base hit to load the bases.  A sacrifice fly to the left field corner from Cullen Flaherty brought home Davis, before the Gators re-loaded the bases with their fifth hit of the inning, another single by Austin Bristol.  Jacob Shick would draw a bases loaded walk, bringing home Carone and giving the Gators a 3-0 lead, before Robert DiMaggio smacked a two-run single up the middle to push the Gator lead to 5-0.

The teams traded runs in the third inning, as Kenyon got on the board in the top half on an RBI double from Mikey Arman, before the Gators countered with a single tally in the bottom of the inning when Orr doubled home Carone, who led off by reaching on an error.  The Gators would then up the lead to 7-1 in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double to the fence in the left-center gap by Shick.  

After surrendering the run in the top of the third, Deagan would quickly settle down and throw zeroes the rest of the way.  The Lords looked to threaten in the fourth, putting two runners on with two outs, but the Gator rookie induced a tailor-made 6-3 double play to end the threat.  Over his final five innings of work, the rookie allowed just two hits, and faced only three batters over the minimum, and notched three strikeouts.

Bristol and Shick drew back-to-back walks to lead off the home half of the sixth inning, before Bristol moved to third on a long fly ball from DiMaggio, and crossed the plate after Shick stole second base and the throw sailed into center field.  Allegheny scored its ninth and final run of the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Wagner lofted a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to left field to plate Bristol, who singled two batters earlier.

Deagan would retire the Lords in order in the top of the ninth, inducing three straight groundball outs to close out the win.

The Gators out-hit the Lords 11-7 in the game one win, with seven different players recording at least one hit. Bristol led the way, reaching base five times with three hits and two walks, while scoring four runs.  Shick went 2-for-4 with a pair of ribbies, while Orr was a third Gator to record multiple hits.

For Kenyon, Arman and Patrick O'Leary each had two hits apiece, while starter Ross Scheinberg started and took the loss, working five innings and allowing seven runs on nine hits, with three walks and three strikeouts.

GAME TWO - Allegheny 4, Kenyon 2
As was the case in game one, the Gators got on the board first in the nightcap with a single run in the bottom of the second.  DiMaggio led off the inning by reaching on an error, stole second base, and crossed the plate after a single to center from Orr.

The Gators then used some small ball to add onto the lead in the bottom of the third.  Ethan Pawlak led off with a single to left, before moving up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt from Flaherty.  Two batters later, DiMaggio came through with a single to right field to bring home Pawlak and push the lead to 2-0.

The game would then turn into a pitcher's duel between Pastorek and Kenyon's O'Leary.  Between the second and sixth innings, Pastorek allowed just three hits without issuing a walk, and faced just four batters over the minimum.  O'Leary was just as effective after yielding the third inning run, allowing just two base runners between the fourth and seventh innings, while striking out two and inducing one double play.

Kenyon's Gaige Howard led off the seventh with a single, but was promptly retired on the Gators' third twin killing of the afternoon.  After a two-out single, Pastorek recorded a ground out to end the inning and keep the shutout in tact.

Allegheny responded by adding a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh that would prove to be much-needed.  With one out, Bristol walked to reach base for the seventh time in the doubleheader.  Two batters later, DiMaggio stepped to the plate, and put together a lengthy at-bat.  Quickly down 0-2 in the count, DiMaggio would watch a pair of balls, before fouling off four pitches.  On the ninth pitch of the at-bat, he deposited a shot well over the wall in left center field for his second home run of the season, putting the Gators in front 4-0.

The Lords looked to piece together a comeback over the final two frames.  Facing Gator reliever Chase Boyer, making his first appearance on the mound in over six weeks, Kenyon scored one run in the eighth and once more in the ninth, but Boyer would end the game with a strikeout to preserve the Gator victory and earn his first save.

The Gators managed just six hits in the win, with two apiece from Pawlak and DiMaggio.  Shick and Orr added the other two Allegheny hits off of O'Leary, who was saddled with the hard-luck loss after working 7 2/3 innings and allowing four runs (three earned) with three strikeouts.

Alec Manning paced the Kenyon offense by going 2-for-4 with a home run, while Matt Contreras finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Allegheny will have a short turnaround as it continues its busy week, as the Gators will make the trip to Berea, Ohio to take on Baldwin Wallace in a non-conference game on Tuesday, Apr. 5 beginning at 4 p.m.

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