OBERLIN, Ohio – Braving swirling winds and the occasional snow squall, the Allegheny baseball team used balanced hitting and a pair of strong starts on the mound to earn a convincing sweep of Oberlin in a North Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader, topping the Yeomen by scores of 17-2 and 10-2. 
 
With the two victories, the Gators improve to 3-1 in the conference, and 8-11 overall, while the Yeomen drop to 7-15 on the season, and 0-4 in the league. 
 
 
GAME ONE – Allegheny 17, Oberlin 2
The Gators pounded 13 hits and batted around in three separate innings, while sophomore Nate Pastorek turned in arguably the strongest start of his collegiate career on the mound, to lead Allegheny to the win in the opener.
 
The Gators quickly got on the board in the top of the first inning.   Cullen Flaherty was walked and Brandon Pouch hit by a pitch to open the game, before each moved ahead 90 feet on a Tommy Cannon sacrifice bunt.  Tyler Wagner's sacrifice fly to center field would then bring home Flaherty and put the Gators up 1-0.
 
Oberlin would answer with single runs in the first and third innings to gain a 2-1 advantage, but the Gators broke it open in a big way in the top of the fifth, as they sent 11 men to the plate and scored eight runs on five hits, while also taking advantage of a pair of Oberlin errors.  After doubling to open the inning, Flaherty laced a two-run single his second time up in the frame, while Pouch also had a pair of base hits and scored a run in the fifth.  Bret Kelly added an RBI single, while Andrew Vincent and Vincent Carone each brought runs home after reaching on errors.
 
The Gators added on in the top of the seventh. Kelly walked and Ethan Pawlak singled to lead off the inning, before Flaherty came through with his third hit of the afternoon, an RBI single to right field that plated Kelly with the team's 10th run of the afternoon.  After Pouch walked, Cannon smacked a two-run single to push the lead to 12-2. 
 
While the Gators bats were sizzling, Pastorek was cruising.  After Oberlin's first two batters reached in the Yeomen two-run second inning, the sophomore southpaw would retire 12 straight batters before surrendering a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Allegheny would bat around yet again in the top of the ninth to score their final five runs of the game.  The Gators took advantage of two walks and two hit batters in the inning, while Pawlak and Kelly each had RBI singles to put the exclamation point on the victory.
 
Offensively, seven different Gators found the hit column, with Kelly going 4-for-6 with three RBIs and two runs scored to lead the way. Flaherty went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and four runs scored, while Pouch went 2-for-3 with three runs, and Cannon 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBIs.
 
Pastorek earned his first win of the season, working seven innings and allowing two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and no walks.  Joe Nagel threw the final two innings, allowing no runs on three hits.
 
Brendan Mapes and Jack Marsjanik each had two hits for Oberlin, while Musa Matiwane, the third of seven Oberlin pitchers used on the afternoon, took the loss after allowing seven unearned runs in Allegheny's decisive fifth inning.
 
GAME TWO – Allegheny 10, Oberlin 2
The nightcap followed much of the same recipe as the opener, as Allegheny received a strong start on the mound from a sophomore lefty, while the Gator offense broke the game open in the middle innings en-route to the decisive sweep.
 
Starter Sean Kealey stranded a pair of Yeomen runners in the bottom of the first, before the Allegheny offense manufactured a run to take a 1-0 lead in the second when Tyler Wagner led off with a single, moved to second on a Chutko sacrifice bunt, and scored on another Kelly single.
 
Allegheny added on in the top of the third. Cannon walked to open the frame, while Wagner doubled and Chutko walked to load the bases.  Two batters later, Pawlak reached on an error that plated both Cannon and Wagner to make the score 3-0. 
 
Oberlin cut into the lead with a single tally in the bottom of the third, as Mapes led off with a double and would score on a one-out sacrifice fly.  
 
Chutko and Kelly were walked to open up the sixth inning, before Pawlak's sacrifice bunt attempt was thrown away, advancing Chutko to the plate with the team's fourth run, and moving Kelly to third base.  Keegan Phillips then singled home Kelly to make it 5-1, before Flaherty's infield single plated Pawlak with Allegheny's sixth run.  After Phillips scampered home on a wild pitch, Cannon laced a double down the third base line to clear the bases and put the Gators in front 9-1.
 
The Gators reached double digits in the run column in the top of the eighth.  Carone and Flaherty led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and Max Sessions followed with a one-base hit of his own to plate Carone with Allegheny's 10th run of the game.
 
Oberlin used an error and a pair of wild pitches to score their second run of the game, but Allegheny reliever Wyatt Wright came back to get a pop up and strike out to seal the victory.
 
For the game, the Gators out-hit the Yeomen 10-5, with Phillips and Flaherty each going 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI, and Wagner 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
 
Kealey improved to 2-2 on the season, allowing just one run on five hits in six innings pitched with seven strikeouts.  Travis Neamon threw two innings of relief, striking out one without giving up a hit, before giving way to Wright, who surrendered just an unearned run in the ninth.
 
Sean Kiley started and pitched well for the Oberlin despite taking the loss, allowing three runs on four hits in five innings with five K's.
 
Allegheny is scheduled to return to action on Thursday, April 5, hosting Penn State-Behrend at 4 p.m. at the Robertson Athletic Complex.  The Gators will then return to conference action on Sunday, April 8, taking on Denison in a 4 p.m. doubleheader at Kelly Automotive Park in Butler, Pennsylvania.