MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny baseball team improved to 22-8 on the year with a nonconference doubleheader sweep of Fredonia at Robertson Field.
The Gators won the opener 10-3 before taking the nightcap by a count of 8-4 before the game was called after five innings due to darkness. In the process of today's victories, Allegheny fifth-year skipper
Brandon Crum earned his 100th career win as a collegiate head coach.
Ben Kosbie (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) and
Tyson Bryant-Dawson (Oakland, Calif./Manvel)) reached base safely to start game one.
Ryan Dougherty (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) singled to right center, driving in Kosbie for the first run.
Brett Heckert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) followed up with a single to score Bryant-Dawson, pushing the lead to 2-0.
The Gators continued to roll into the second, plating six more runs. Kosbie, Bryant-Dawson, Dougherty,
Brayden Cartwright (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) and
Jonathan Sharp (Chardon, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) hit RBI singles while
Jake Stotsky (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian Academy) had an RBI double.
In the third, Heckert drove in Bryant-Dawson on a sacrifice fly, extending the lead to 9-1.
Chase Chodkowski (Buffalo, N.Y./West Seneca West) belted his first career home run in the fourth inning as the lead moved to 10-1.
Kosbie had three hits and an RBI. Dougherty and Heckert had two hits and two RBI apiece. Sharp also had two hits with a run batted in. Stotsky, Chodkowski, Cartwright and Bryant-Dawson also drove in a run.
Brent Herrmann (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) earned the win, going four innings while striking out four to improve to 3-0.
Cam Karnik (Lorain, Ohio/Amherst Steele) and
Hunter Lohr (Bowdoinham, Maine/Mount Ararat) finished the game in relief, combining to strike out three over the final three innings.
Fredonia struck twice in the opening inning of game two, but the Gators matched in the bottom half. Bryant-Dawson doubled down the left-field line and was brought home by Dougherty. After a Heckert double, Dougherty crossed the plate on a Stotsky sacrifice fly.
William Wolff (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast) led off the second with a single up the middle and eventually came around on a Kosbie hit to make it 3-1.
The Gators bats lit up in the third as they tacked on five more runs on eight hits. Heckert, Stotsky, Chodkowski and Budnar all hit doubles.
Anthony Vazquez (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley) earned his first victory of the year, working the first 4.0 innings and scattering six hits and three runs (two earned).
Preston Pierce (Camano Island, Wash./Stanwood) secured the final 0.2 innings and earned his second save of the year.
The Gators are back in action on the road Wednesday (April 27) when they will conclude their game from April 16 against Ohio Wesleyan that was suspended in the top of 6th, with Allegheny leading 18-10.
