MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College baseball team split a pair of Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contests with the Cougars of Chatham University on Saturday, April 15, as the Gators dropped the opening matchup, 9-8, and won Game 2, 6-4.

It was a back-and-forth battle throughout all 18 innings of play, as there were two ties and six lead changes during both games between the Gators (13-13, 6-4 PAC) and Cougars (12-14, 5-7 PAC).

Chatham 9, Allegheny 8
The Cougars jumped on the board early in Game 1, putting up two runs in both the top of the first and second innings. Anthony Maslo (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) and Seth Reisman (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) got the Gators on the board in the home half of the second, with the lefty third baseman tallying an RBI single and the catcher hitting a sac fly. 

It didn't take long for Allegheny to add to its run total, as the Gators scored five in the third inning, the most of any frame in either ballgame. The Gators led off with three singles in a row, including an RBI base-hit from Tyson Bryant-Dawson (Oakland, Calif./Manvel (Texas)). Reisman also picked up his second and third RBIs of the showdown with a single through the left side. 

With a few more runs for both teams, the Gators led 8-6 heading into the eighth inning. After a leadoff single, the Gator bullpen gave up a two-run bomb to Chatham's Tyler Cote to tie the game. Later in the frame, Nico Cuello drove in the go-ahead run on an RBI single to give Chatham a 9-8 lead. 

Allegheny 6 Chatham 4
Allegheny showed resilience in the nightcap and bounced back with a much-needed win to uphold their rankings within the PAC.

Each team scored a run in the first inning, but in the fourth, Chase Chodkowski (Buffalo, N.Y./West Seneca West) broke the tie with his 11th RBI of the season coming off a single down the left field line. 

Bobby Kusinsky (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford) looked sharp throughout the majority of the late contest as the Gators' starter. His only fault came in the fifth inning after he left a pitch over the plate, which allowed Caleb Lehman to blast a three-run shot over the right-center field wall. It was Lehman's first bomb of the season and gave the Cougars a 4-2 lead.

Despite the mishap from Kusinsky in the fifth, he came out in the next inning and got out of a huge jam. With runners on second and third and nobody, Kusinsky had work to do. He struck out the next two batters and got a ground ball comebacker to finish his final inning without allowing a run.

The Gators came out in the seventh and knocked two runs in to tie the game at 4-all thanks to a two-RBI single from Brady Nolin (Cumberland, Maine/Greely). It was the only hit for Nolin in Game 2, but it could not have come at a bigger time.

In the next frame, Maslo went yard to break the tie, demolishing the ball over the right field fence.

The Gators tallied another insurance run later in the inning, but it was Brenden Gray (Pittsburgh, Pa. South Park) who shut the door on the Cougars in the ninth to secure the win. Gray threw 3.0 innings without allowing a run and picked up his first collegiate win.

Inside the Box Score - Game 1

• Chatham tallied nine runs on 12 hits and committed one error.
• Allegheny finished with eight runs on 10 hits and two errors.
• Bryant-Dawson, Maslo, Matt Jennings (Birmingham, Mich./Brother Rice), and Sullivan Schueltz (Ligonier, Pa./Ligonier Valley) each had two hits.
• Jennings was 2-for-3 with a walk, and a team-high-tying two runs scored.
• Malso was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
• Reisman only had one hit but added a sac fly and collected a team-high three RBIs.
• Allegheny's starter, Conor Deasy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic), threw 6.0 innings, allowing six runs (five earned) with five strikeouts in a do-decision.
• Chatham reliever David McSorley received the win; he went 5.0 innings with no runs allowed.

Inside the Box Score - Game 2

• The Gators finished with a 12-to-8 lead in hits.
• Allegheny committed one error, while Chatham finished without any miscues in the field.
• Schueltz had a team-high three hits, going 3-for-4 with one run scored.
• Bryant-Dawson was 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
• Nolin was 1-for-5 with a team-best three RBIs.
• Maslo was 1-for-2, with his lone hit coming on a solo home run.
• Kusinsky allowed four runs (three earned) with seven strikeouts in 6.0 innings.
• Gray did not allow a run in 3.0 innings of relief work and received the win for the Gators.

News and Notes

• Allegheny's record remains even at 13-13, while the Gators improved to 6-4 against PAC opponents.
• The bats continued to stay hot, as the Gators have produced double-digit hits in four consecutive games.
• Schueltz was a combined 5-for-9 at the plate in both games and is now hitting a team-high .398 on the season.
• Maslo hit his first home run of the season and is now on a four-game hit streak.
• Gray moved to 1-0 on the year and picked up the first collegiate win of his career.

Up Next
On Tuesday, April 18, the Gators head to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, for a PAC doubleheader against Geneva College at 1:00 p.m.