WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- The Allegheny College baseball team opened its spring break trip in the Sunshine State with a late-inning 5-4 comeback victory over the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg on Friday.

After the first three games of the season were postponed due to wintry weather in the northern part of the country, the Gators (1-0) shook off the cold in their first game of the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. Allegheny scored first on a Tommy Landsnes (Richmond, Va./Brunswick Academy) double in the top of the first inning but found itself down 3-1 after the Bobcats (0-2) pounced with a three-run third.

Senior William Wolff (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast) connected for the team's first home run of the season in the fourth inning, a solo shot that brought the Gators back within one. After UPG regained a two-run lead in the bottom of the seventh, the Allegheny offense found new life in the top of the eighth inning.

Landsnes drove in his second run of the afternoon with an RBI single that plated Tyson Bryant-Dawson (Oakland, Calif./Manvel (Texas)), who led off the inning with a double. With two outs, Liam Irving (Olney, Md./Sherwood) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and then Ty Eberhardt (Pittsburgh, Pa./Hopewell) drew a bases-loaded walk to even the score at 4-all.

In the ninth, speedy outfielder Grant Dowden (Ligonier, Pa./Ligonier Valley) singled, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, and then scored the winning run on a two-bagger off the bat of senior outfielder Matt Jennings (Birmingham, Mich./Brother Rice). First-year pitcher Luke Pierce (Bristow, Va./Patriot) then shut down the Pitt-Greensburg batters in the bottom half of the frame to preserve the victory.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny scored five runs on nine hits, including three doubles and one home run.
• Pitt-Greensburg recorded four runs on 10 hits with four doubles and a homer.
• The top five batters in the Allegheny lineup each had at least one hit.
• Jennings and Landsnes both had two hits for the Gators, while Landsnes led the lineup with two RBIs.
• Mark Schweickert (Richmond, Va./John Randolph Tucker) struck out six in 5.1 innings while allowing three runs as Allegheny's starting pitcher.
• Out of the bullpen, Ben Shields (Charleroi, Pa./Charleroi Area) received the win with 2.2 innings of work with just one unearned run against his name.
• Pierce picked up the save with a scoreless ninth.
• Pitt-Greensburg got 7.1 strong innings out of starter Conner Burkey, who struck out eight and gave up four runs in a no-decision.

News and Notes

• Allegheny has won two in a row against Pitt-Greensburg, with the most recent matchup dating back to 2016.
• Wolff slugged his fourth career home run, while Landsnes produced his fourth multi-hit game.
• First-year infielder Garrett Lienhard (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) posted his first collegiate hit in his debut as Allegheny's starting second baseman.
• Pierce recorded a save in his debut on the mound.

Up Next
On Saturday, March 1, the Gators will take on Concordia University Chicago at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, Florida. First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.