MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Allegheny won game one by a 6-2 count, but dropped the night cap, 4-1, to split with Wittenberg in a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) doubleheader on Senior Day at the Roberston Baseball Field.
The split settles the Gators in at 18-14 overall an 7-6 in the conference with four full games and the conclusion the the second Wabash game from March 30 remaining. The Gators and Little Giants are currently tied for the fourth and final spot in the league tournament and will conclude the March 30 game on Sunday, May 5 in Indiana while Allegheny is in the area taking on DePauw (currently in third) the day before. With tomorrow's nonconference doubleheader against Mount Union canceled, the Gators will be back in action on Wednesday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Kenyon.
The Gators scored the first six runs in the opener, beginning with three in the bottom of the second. With the bases loaded,
Vincent Carone (Erie, Pa./McDowell) laid down a majestic bunt that went for an infield single and plated
Bret Kelly (Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda).
Austin Bristol (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) then brought in another run with a sacrifice fly and
Keegan Phillips (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) extended the lead to 3-0 with an RBI single through the left side.
In the fifth, Kelly scored on an RBI single to center by
Max Sessions (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) and
Luke Chutko (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) came home on a base knock through the left side by Carone, 5-0. Carone added his third RBI of the game in the bottom of the seventh with a sacrifice fly that made it 6-0.
The run support was enough for
Sean Kealey (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin), who improved to 5-3 with the win by allowing two hits for the second-straight start. He worked 6.0 innings and struck out eight, while not allowing a run, but walking five and hitting another batter.
Dalton Donachie (New Springfield, Ohio/Springfield Local) picked up his fourth save of the season by tossing the final 3.0 innings and surrendering six hits and two runs.
Phillips and
Dalton DuBois (Bemus Point, N.Y./Maple Grove) both had three hits in the first game, while Carone went 2-for-3 with a sac fly and three RBI and Bristol and Sessions both contributed two hits and an RBI.
In game two, the Gators fell behind, 2-0, after two and 4-0 through five, but finally lit the scoreboard in the bottom of the ninth and eventually brought the tying run to the plate. The lone run was scored on a sacrifice fly by
Tommy Cannon (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory).
Joe Nagel (Sewickley, Pa./Sewickley Academy) suffered the loss, working 4.1 innings and yielding 10 hits and all four runs.
Nolan Thompson (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) went 2.2 innings of one-hit relief with three strikeouts and
Nick Tarasi (Gibsonia, Pa./Shady Side Academy) went the final 2.0 innings without allowing a hit, while striking out four and getting two outs on the ground.
Allegheny had just four hits in the night cap, base knocks by Bristol, Cannon,
Ethan Pawlak (Chardon, Ohio/Gilmour Academy) and
Brett Heckert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny).
