By Adam Cohen, Athletic Communications Assistant
 
BREVARD, N.C. -- The Allegheny baseball team finished off the three-game set versus Brevard with a 11-9 win in 10 innings on Sunday (Feb. 13). The victory was the first of the 2022 campaign and the Gators improved to 1-2 on the season.
 
Allegheny sent out five pitchers to handle the first four innings, before Bobby Kusinsky (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford) delivered five innings, allowing just one earned run in relief to earn the win.
 
When Kusinsky entered the game, the Gators trailed 6-3. Ryan Dougherty (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) drove in his first run of the game via a sac fly in the second, while Anthony Maslo (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) also brought home a run with a sacrifice in the fourth before Brady Nolin (Cumberland, Maine/Greely) followed suit with an RBI single. Allegheny cut down the deficit to two in the fifth after Brett Heckert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) scored on a throwing error.
 
Two innings later, the Gators picked up their first lead of the game thanks to a bases-clearing double from Dougherty to make it a 7-6 ballgame. The next inning, Allegheny tacked on two more insurance runs because of back-to-back bases loaded free passes to Ben Kosbie (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) and Andrew Stablewski (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Academy), the latter of which occurred on a hit by pitch.
 
Although Brevard notched two more runs in the bottom half of the eighth, Kusinsky left a runner in scoring position to preserve the lead with the Gators up 9-8.
 
However, Brevard began the bottom of the ninth inning with an overturned hit by pitch call that caused the end of the game to be played under protest. The free base proved costly for Allegheny as Brevard tied up the game 9-9 heading into extras.
 
Nevertheless, the Gators never looked back in the 10th as Stablewski knocked in his second run of the game with Allegheny's third sac fly of the game, and Dougherty added his career-high fifth RBI to give the Gators an insurance run.
 
The near four hour game concluded in dramatic fashion as Joseph Raleigh (Clermont, Fla./East Ridge) stranded runners on second and third in the bottom half of the frame to secure his first collegiate save. The freshman pitcher was aided by batterymate Brayden Cartwright (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) who issued several crucial blocks to keep Allegheny out in front.
 
The Gators have the next two weeks off before traveling to Alfred State College for a three-game series. The two teams will start off the nonconference matchup with a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 26 with the first game slated for a 12 p.m. start.