BECKLEY, W.Va. -- The Allegheny College baseball team wrapped up its season-opening series against John Carroll University at Linda K. Epling Stadium in Beckley, West Virginia, by splitting a doubleheader with the Blue Streaks on Sunday afternoon.

The Gators (1-2) won the seven-inning matinee by an 8-5 final score. However, John Carroll (2-1) took the rubber match, 17-9, and a two-games-to-one series victory.

Allegheny 8, JCU 5
The Gators did the bulk of their damage in the first and last innings en route to the win in the first half of Sunday's twin bill. Allegheny put up three spots in the first and seventh frames and rallied from a one-run deficit in the later stages of the contest.

Trailing 5-4, Brady Nolin (Cumberland, Maine/Greely) drove in the tying run with a clutch, two-out double. Tyson Bryant-Dawson (Oakland, Calif./Manvel (Texas)) then began the seventh with a two-bagger of his own, and the Gators loaded the bases when a pitch hit Matt Jennings (Birmingham, Mich./Brother Rice) and Brenden Gray (Pittsburgh, Pa./South Park) was walked. The fourth batter of the inning, Jake Stotsky (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian Academy), plated the go-ahead runs with a two-run base hit, and Allegheny added an insurance run on a sac fly.

In a series that saw both pitching staffs struggle to shake off the early-season rust, Joseph Raleigh (Clermont, Fla./East Ridge) was a bright spot on the mound for Allegheny. He entered out of the bullpen and tossed two scoreless frames with one strikeout to earn the win.

JCU 17, Allegheny 9
Allegheny used eight different arms in the nightcap, but only two exited the game without being charged for a run. In addition to several free passes, the John Carroll batters flexed their muscle with seven extra-base hits and two home runs.

On the other hand, the Blue Streaks did not look sharp defensively, and the Gators did their best to take full advantage of their miscues. Allegheny scored seven of their nine runs in the bottom of the third, an inning in which John Carroll committed six errors. After Nolin reached on an error, he came around to score on a wild throw back toward the infield on a Chase Chodkowski (Buffalo, N.Y./West Seneca West) double. Chodkowski not only came home on a fielding error during Bryant-Dawson's ensuing at-bat, but Bryant-Dawson trotted home when the JCU catcher missed his target trying to catch the speedy outfielder swiping third.

When the chaos subsided, the Gators found themselves leading 7-5, but the Blue Streaks responded by scoring five times in both the seventh and eighth innings.

Inside the Box Score - Game 1

• Allegheny outhit John Carroll, 7-to-4, and the AC batters drew twice as many walks, 8-to-4.
• Bryant-Dawson was a perfect 4-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
• Stotsky led all Gators with three RBIs.
• Nolin, who was 1-for-2 with a double, added three walks and scored twice.
• Daniel Morgano (Allison Park, Pa./Vincentian Academy) earned the no-decision after allowing five runs with six strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
• Raleigh faced one over the minimum in the final two innings to earn the win.

Inside the Box Score - Game 2

• Despite the difference in runs, John Carroll only had two more hits, 13-to-11.
• The Blue Streaks had seven extra-base hits, including two home runs, while Allegheny produced three extra-base hits.
• Chodkowski and Jennings both finished 3-for-5 at the dish.
• Gray added two hits, including a triple, with one run and one RBI.
• JCU's Erik Daugenti and Logan LaMere combined for 11 of the game's 19 total RBIs.
• Owen Gerba received the win for the Blue Streak, as he pitched a game-high 4.1 innings out of the bullpen.
• Tai Hopkins (Meadville, Pa./Cathedral Prep) tossed a 1-2-3 ninth with one strikeout.

News and Notes

• Although John Carroll won the season series, Allegheny leads the all-time series, 39-29.
• Raleigh, a sophomore, earned the second win of his career.
• Bryant-Dawson's four hits in the early game on Sunday are a single-game career-high.
• Stotsky tied a career-high with three RBIs in the first game.
• Chodkowski's three-hit performance in the nightcap was his second of the young season.
• Jennings also set a career-high for hits in a game with three in the finale.

Up Next
The Gators will travel to Tucson, Arizona, to participate in the Tucson Invitational Games from Saturday, March 4, through Friday, March 10. The spring break trip begins against Otterbein University on March 4 at 6:00 p.m. at the Kino Sports Complex.