TUCSON, Ariz. – The Allegheny baseball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader to Saint John's (Minn.) at the Tucson Invitational, falling by scores of 13-4 and 12-3.
 
With the defeats, the Gators fall to 2-6 on the young season, while Saint John's has now won 13 of its first 15 games on the year.
 
GAME ONE
In the opener, the Johnnies struck first with three two out runs in the top of the second, using a pair of singles, a double, and a throwing error.  They would then score single tallies in each of the next three frames to go up 6-0, before adding insurance with four runs on five hits.
 
Allegheny would finally find the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh.  Bret Kelly and Cullen Flaherty led off with back-to-back singles, before Ronaldo Del Duca stroked his first career hit, a triple to the right field corner that scored both runs.  Two batters later, Luke Chutko singled home Del Duca with the Gators' third run of the inning.
 
The Johnnies countered with three more runs in the visiting half of the seventh inning, before the Gators got their final run of the contest in the bottom of the frame, when Del Duca's sacrifice fly plated Max Sessions, who singled to lead off.
 
The Gators totaled nine hits in the loss, with Flaherty, Sessions, and Kelly each tallying two apiece.  Sean Kealey started on the mound and took the loss, throwing five innings and allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits, with five K's.
 
Danny Kuhn threw six innings for the Johnnies and earned the win, allowing three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts. 
 
GAME TWO
Saint John's struck first again in the nightcap, plating three runs on three hits and an error in the bottom of the first inning, but the Gators came right back in the top of the second.
 
Chutko opened the inning by drawing a walk, before Tyler Wagner singled.  Noah Shannon moved each runner up 90 feet with a bunt, and Kelly then singled to center to score Chutko.  Flaherty followed with a hard-hit ball that was misplayed at second base to bring home Wagner and cut the deficit to 3-2.
 
The Gators would get no closer, however, as Saint John's answered right back with one run in the bottom of the second and then two more in the fourth to make it 6-2.
 
With two outs in the top of the fifth, Brandon Pouch was hit by a pitch before moving into scoring position with a wild pitch.  Tommy Cannon promptly singled into left field to plate Pouch and cut St. John's lead in half, but the Johnnies countered with four runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to put the game away and close the day's scoring.
 
Allegheny totaled six hits in the game, with Wagner going 2-for-3.  Dalton Donachie started on the mound and worked 4 2/3 innings, taking the loss.
 
Tommy Auger got the win for Saint John's, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits in five innings of action.
 
The Gators will be back in action in Arizona on Tue. Mar. 20, with a 1 p.m. (Eastern) twinbill against Wesleyan.