ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Allegheny baseball team jumped out to an early five-run lead and never looked back to defeat Mount Union 7-2 in a non-conference Sunday matinee.
 
Seven different Allegheny (15-18) players tallied at least one hit, led by Tommy Cannon's 4-for-5 performance, while starter Joe Nagel allowed just two runs in six innings of work to earn his second victory of the season.
 
The Gators couldn't have started better, sending 10 men to the plate in the top of the first to jump out to a 5-0 lead.  Allegheny loaded the bases with no outs on a single from Bret Kelly, an error off the bat of Noah Shannon, and another one-base hit from Cannon, before a double by Tyler Wagner plated a pair to quickly make it 2-0.  Tyler Hettich, Ethan Pawlak, and Luke Chutko would then follow with RBi singles in consecutive at bats to stake the Gators out to a five-run lead.
 
Nagel effectively pitched with the early lead, allowing just two base runners through the first three innings, before the Gators added onto the advantage with a run in the fourth.  Shannon led off the inning with a single, and was plated two batters later on Hettich's second RBI single of the afternoon to make it 6-0.
 
After another scoreless inning in the fifth from Nagel, the Raiders would piece together a lengthy bottom of the sixth, scoring two runs on four hits, before the junior Gator hurler escaped the inning by stranding a pair on base with an inning-ending pop up.
 
The Gators scored their final run of the afternoon in the top of the eighth, as Cannon opened with a double, his fourth hit of the day, and scored three batters later on an RBI ground out from Pawlak to make it 7-2.
 
After Nagel departed following the sixth, Nate Pastorek, Travis Neamon, and Dalton Donachie each threw a scoreless inning of relief to preserve the Gator win.  Pastorek pitched around of singles in the seventh to strike out the side, while Neamon and Donachie each surrendered just one hit apiece.
 
Nagel improved to 2-2 on the year as he allowed two runs on seven hits with two K's in six innings of work.
 
Cannon was one of three Gators to record multiple hits, as Kelly and Hettich each went 2-for-5.  Hettich was one of three Gators with two RBIs, joining Wagner and Pawlak.
 
Darren Krolikowski started and took the loss for the Raiders (19-15), allowing six runs on 10 hits in four innings.  Nathan Duliba and Nate Owen each had two hits for Mount. 
 
The Gators will continue their busy week with a single, non-conference affair at the Robertson Athletic Complex against Grove City on Monday (Apr. 29) beginning at 4 p.m.