MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Keegan Phillips (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to give Allegheny a 7-6 win in the opener, before the Gators dropped a 5-4 decision in the night cap of a home North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) doubleheader against Oberlin.

The split moves Allegheny to 10-8 overall this season and 2-1 in NCAC play ahead of its first conference action on the road this year when the Gators travel to No. 23 Denison for a noon twinbill on Saturday, April 6.

With the score knotted at 6-6 and two outs in the bottom of the ninth of the opener, Luke Chutko (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) was hit by a pitch and Tommy Cannon (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory) reached on a fielding error to put two on. That brought up Phillips, who ripped a line drive to left field on an 0-2 pitch that dropped past the diving left fielder and allowed Chutko to score from second.

After holding a 4-2 lead entering the seventh inning, Allegheny surrendered four runs in the top of the seventh, but responded with one in each of the seventh and eighth to tie the score and set up Phillips' heroics.

Three Gators had multi-hit performances in game one as Phillips (2-for-5) was joined by Austin Bristol (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park), who was 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs, and Bret Kelly (Tonawanda, N.Y./Tonawanda), who finished 2-for-4 as well. Brett Heckert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) had the lone extra-base hit for the Gators, an RBI double in the three-run Gator third inning.

Nolan Thompson (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) earned his first collegiate win in relief, working the final 2.1 innings and allowing just one hit, while striking out three. He entered with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and was able to get a strikeout to stop the damage. He allowed just one hit in the eighth and then retired the side in order in the ninth.

In game two, the Gators received strong pitching performances from starter Jared Deagen (Copley, Ohio/Copley) and relievers Nick Tarasi (Gibsonia, Pa./Shady Side Academy) and Dalton Donachie (New Springfield, Ohio/Springfield Local), but were unable to pull out the win. Deagan, who suffered the loss, went 6.0, giving up eight hits and all five runs (three earned), while striking out 10 (one shy of his career high) and walking just one. Tarasi worked 2.0-plus and struck out four, including the all three batters in the seventh inning looking.

Bristol's two-run single to left center in the bottom of the seventh brought the Gators within 5-4 initially.

Bristol had his second three-hit game of the season in game two, with a double, two RBI and two runs. Max Sessions (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) finished 2-for-4 and Chutko drove in two. Ethan Pawlak (Chardon, Ohio/Gilmour Academy) tallied the other extra-base hit with a double, and Heckert ran his hitting streak to a team-leading seven games with a base knock.