MEADVILLE, Pa. – Allegheny welcomed Kenyon to Robertson Field in a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) doubleheader on Wednesday (May 4).
Kenyon won game one 8-4, but Allegheny bounced back for a dramatic 7-6 win in game two.
Ben Kosbie (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) tallied hits in both games, extending his hitting streak to 15 games.
In game two, the Lords opened the game by plating four runs in the first. The Gators cut into the lead in the bottom of the frame. Kosbie led off with a single, his 15th straight game with a hit.
Ryan Dougherty (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) doubled to left field, taking Kosbie to third.
Brett Heckert (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) and
Tyson Bryant-Dawson (Oakland, Calif./Manvel (Texas)) hit back-to-back sacrifice flies as the Gators cut the lead to 4-2.
In the fourth inning,
Jake Stotsky (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian Academy) belted his second career home run over the left-center wall, cutting the lead to 4-3. Later in the inning,
Matt Jennings (Birmingham, Mich./Brother Rice) reached second on an error, and was driven home by
Jacob Budnar (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) to tie the game at 4-4.
Kosbie was hit by a pitch to start the fifth inning, and moved to third on a wild pitch and a passed ball. Dougherty brought Kosbie home to put the Gators in front, 5-4. Heckert doubled to right center to move into scoring position for Bryant-Dawson, who singled through the right side to plate Heckert.
The Lords scored one run in the top of the sixth to cut the lead to 6-5.
Sullivan Schueltz (Ligonier, Pa./Ligonier Valley) gave the Gators a two-run lead once again as he scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the frame.
That run proved to be the final Allegheny run of the game as
Walker Cunningham (Cambridge Springs, Pa./Cambridge Springs) kept the Lords at bay as he went 5.2 innings, scattering three hits and a walk while striking out four.
Daniel Morgano (Allison Park, Pa./Vincentian Academy) collected his second career save, recording the final three outs via swinging strikes after Kenyon got within 7-6.
Dougherty, Stotsky and Budnar all had two hits with one RBI in game two. Bryant-Dawson drove in a pair of runs while Heckert had an RBI as well.
In the third inning of game one,
Jonathan Sharp (Chardon, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) and Budnar hit back-to-back singles. Kosbie singled through the right side of the infield, scoring Sharp for the game's first run. Bryant-Dawson followed up with a sacrifice fly, driving in Budnar to make it 2-0.
In the top of fifth, Kenyon tallied their first run to cut the lead to 2-1. In the bottom of the frame, Kosbie was walked before Bryant-Dawson doubled down the left field line, scoring Kosbie from first.
The Lords tied the game in the top of the sixth. They threatened to take the lead but
Preston Pierce (Camano, Wash./Stanwood) got the Gators out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam with a pair of strikeouts and an infield fly.
The Gators regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth when a Budnar sacrifice fly scored
Chase Chodkowski (Buffalo, N.Y./West Seneca West), making it 4-3.
However, the Lords put up two runs in the seventh and three more in the ninth as they took an 8-4 lead. They were able to hold the Gators off in the ninth to pick up the win.
Bryant-Dawson knocked in a pair of runs while Budnar and Kosbie drove in the other two runs.
Bobby Kusinsky (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford) struck out five batters in five innings of work and received a no-decision.
The Gators are scheduled to host their final NCAC doubleheader at noon on Saturday, May 7. Prior to the two games against DePauw at noon, Allegheny will recognize its five-member senior class.
