BECKLEY, W.Va. – The Allegheny baseball team opened up the 2018 season by splitting a doubleheader with John Carroll. In a wild, back-and-forth opener, the Gators were defeated 10-9 in 15 innings, before responding in a big way to take the nightcap by a 17-6 score to earn head coach
Brandon Crum his first win at Allegheny.
Over the two games, the Gators racked 30 hits – including 10 for extra bases – while they drew a total of 21 walks.
In his Allegheny debut,
Tommy Cannon led the way for the offense, as he went a combined 6-for-7 with three doubles, a home run, six runs scored, and five walks. He was one of nine Gators to tally at least three hits in the twinbill, while
Max Sessions and
Tyler Wagner also added long balls in the nightcap.
GAME ONE – JOHN CARROLL 10, ALLEGHENY 9 (15 INNINGS)
John Carroll took an early 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, before the Gators answered right back with three in the top of the second, a sign of things to come for the wild, 5 hour 20 minute affair.
The Gators' first three batters in the second frame reached, with Wagner and
Noah Shannon drawing walks, and
Dan Bonnett poking a single up the middle. A wild pitch plated Wagner with Allegheny's first run, before
Keegan Phillips' sacrifice fly scored Bonnett to tie the game, while a hustling
Noah Shannon also crossed the plate after a misplayed relay throw to give Allegheny its first lead of the day, 3-2.
The Blue Streaks promptly tied it with a single run in the bottom of the second, before the pendulum again swung the way of the Gators, who put up a three spot in the top of the fifth to go up 6-3.
Cullen Flaherty singled and
Ethan Pawlak walked to begin the frame, and both crossed the plate on Cannon's double to the left field corner. Two batters later, Wagner's two-base hit would bring home Cannon with the Gators' third run of the inning.
John Carroll chipped away the deficit, scoring once in both the fifth and sixth innings to cut the deficit to 6-5. Meanwhile, the Gators had at least two runners reach base in the sixth through ninth innings, but were unable to come up with a timely hit, stranding a total of seven men on base over the span.
Trailing 6-5 to start the bottom of the ninth, the Blue Streaks promptly loaded the bases with no outs. After a strikeout, John Carroll tied the game at six-all with a sacrifice fly to left. Gator reliever
Cy Perry would quell the threat, but the damage was done as the game went to extra innings.
The Gators went down in order in the top of the tenth, but after JCU's leadoff man singled in the bottom of the frame and moved to second on a bunt, Allegheny reliever
Travis Neamon induced a popup to end the threat.
Phillips led off the 11th with a single to right center, and moved into scoring position on a Flaherty sacrifice bunt. A wild pitch moved Phillips to third with one out, before Cannon drew a walk to put runners at the corners with two down. The two Gators would remain stranded, as JCU reliever Nicholas Michel ended the threat by inducing a fly out.
The teams traded scoreless at bats over the next two frames, with Neamon stranding baserunners in both the 12th and 13th innings, before the Gator bats came back to life in the 14th. Cannon led off the frame with his third double of the afternoon, and scored two batters later on a Wagner sacrifice fly to give the Gators a 7-6 lead.
Down to their final out in the bottom of the 14th, JCU's Nathan Reich stroked a single, before Patrick Keohane kept his team alive with an RBI triple to tie the game up at 7-all, and send the game into a 15th inning.
Phillips led off the 15th with a bunt single, and moved into scoring position on a Flaherty sacrifice bunt. Pawlak would then bring home Phillips with a sharp single to left, before
Brandon Pouch's two-out base hit scored Pawlak to put the Gators up 9-7.
The Blue Streaks offered the final counter punch of the afternoon in the bottom of the 15th, however, plating the game's final three runs, with Mike McCarty's two-run single the decisive blow that gave the Blue Streaks the 10-9 lead and ended the 5-hour marathon.
Fifteen different players had at least one hit in the game, with John Carroll totaling 17 hits and the Gators' 14. Cannon went 4-for-5 with three doubles, two RBIs, two walks, and two runs scored to lead Allegheny, while Phillips finished with three hits, and Pouch and Flaherty two apiece.
Jarod Deagan started on the mound for the Gators and worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with eight strikeouts. Perry threw four innings of relief, allowing two runs on four hits with five K's, while Neamon worked a career-high five frames, allowing just one run with three strikeouts.
Evan Davis worked the 15th and was saddled with the loss.
For John Carroll. Keohane went 4-for-7 with two triples, a home run, and three RBIs, while Dominic Mittiga also had four hits, including a double and a walk. Eli Moore started and worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits with four K's. Andrew Steele worked the final inning and a third to pick up the win.
GAME TWO – ALLEGHENY 17, JOHN CARROLL 6
In the nightcap, it appeared early on as if the teams would be following the same script from the opener, as John Carroll took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first, before the Gators answered right back in the home half.
With one out, Flaherty singled and took second on a wild pitch, before Pawlak reached on an error to put runners at first and second. Cannon drew another walk to load the bases, before Wagner lofted a high fly ball to the warning track in center field. The ball was misplayed in the swirling winds, bringing home Flaherty and Pawlak to give Allegheny a 2-1 lead. Bonnett would then follow with a single through the left side to score Cannon, and the Gators led 3-1 after the opening frame.
The Gators would add two more runs in the second, with Pawlak stroking an RBI double and Wagner a run-scoring single, before
Max Sessions gave Allegheny a 6-1 lead in the bottom of the third with a towering home run down the left field line.
John Carroll countered with two runs on two hits and an error in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit in half, 6-3, but the Gators would answer right back in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs, Wagner deposited a line drive, two-run home run to left field to make the score 8-3. Bonnett would then leg out an infield single, advance to second on a wild pitch, and take third on a stolen base, before
Luke Chutko picked up his first collegiate hit, an RBI single through the left side to give the Gators a 9-3 lead.
The Blue Streaks refused to go away, scoring a pair of two out runs in the top of the sixth, before adding a single tally in the sixth to cut their deficit to 9-6.
Allegheny put the game away for good in the bottom of the sixth, sending 12 men to the plate and scoring eight runs on five hits and five walks. Chutko hit a two-run single in the frame and Pawlak a bases loaded triple, before Cannon put the exclamation point on his banner day with a two-run home run to left center to close out the day's scoring.
Six different Gators tallied at least two hits in the win, led by 3-for-4 performances from Chutko and Bonnett. Cannon and Wagner each went 2-for-2, with the former drawing three walks and scoring four runs, and the latter scoring twice and driving in four RBIs. Pawlak also had a four RBI day, while also scoring three times.
Sean Kealey worked 4 2/3 innings on the mound, allowing five runs on five hits with five strikeouts.
Nick DiBucci threw a scoreless third of an inning, while
Joe Nagel threw the final two frames, allowing an unearned run on one hit, while striking out four to pick up the save.
The three Gator hurlers limited the Blue Streaks to just six hits, with McCarty going 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored to lead the way. Cameron Mayle started and worked the first 3 2/3 innings and took the loss, allowing nine runs on 10 hits, while striking out five.
The two teams will wrap up the weekend West Virginia set on Sunday, when they'll play a single, nine-inning game beginning at 12 noon.
