TUCSON, Ariz. -- Allegheny College baseball wrapped up an eight-game road trip at the Tucson Invitational Games on Friday morning with a 4-0 loss to the Stags of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

The Stags (12-4), who received votes in the latest edition of the D3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) rankings, got a stellar performance on the mound from starter Jarrett Korson. Korson faced three over the minimum in 7.0 innings and struck out six with no walks. His effort guided CMS to a shutout, even though the Gators (3-8) ended the contest with more hits.

Allegheny starter Bobby Kusinsky (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford) did his best to match Korson, but was the unfortunate recipient of the loss despite another quality start. Only one of the three runs charged to Kusinsky was earned, and the senior right-handed hurler struck out four in 6.1 innings of work.

Most of Friday's runs were scored in the top of the seventh. After giving up a one-out RBI single, Kusinsky was relieved in favor of Brenden Gray (Pittsburgh, Pa./South Park). Gray managed to strike out the first batter he faced and would have been out of the inning if it wasn't for an infield error in the ensuing at-bat. But back-to-back walks and a hit by pitch forced two runs home, before Preston Pierce (Camano Island, Wash./Stanwood) was called from the bullpen to fan right fielder Paul Roche for the final out of the seventh.

Down by four, the Gators put the runners on base in the eighth and ninth innings with lead-off singles, but couldn't move either runner into scoring position.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny finished with a 6-to-4 advantage in hits.
• However, the Gators' pitchers walked four and hit three batters, whereas the Stags did not give up any free passes.
• Chase Chodkowski (Buffalo, N.Y./West Seneca West) was the only batter from either team with multiple hits, as he finished 2-for-4.
• Ryan Dougherty (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) had the only extra-base hit of the afternoon with a double in the bottom of the second inning.
• Kusinsky scattered three runs (one earned) off of four hits and two walks across 6.1 innings.
• Pierce logged 2.1 hitless innings and struck out four.
• Korson was the winner with 7.0 shutout innings for the Stags.

News and Notes

• Friday's matchup marked the first-ever between Allegheny and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
• Kusinsky lowered his season ERA to 2.35 and his WHIP to 0.72 with his second quality start in a row.
• Pierce finished one strikeout shy of a single-game career-high.

Up Next
Allegheny's 2023 home opener is scheduled for Saturday, March 18, when the Gators host Houghton College for a doubleheader at 12:00 p.m.