MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Allegheny College's unbeaten streak inside the friendly confines of Robert M. Garbark '32 Field came to an end on Wednesday afternoon, as the Gators dropped a non-conference matchup to Penn State Behrend, 5-4.

The Gators (12-7) had won their first seven games of the 2026 season at their home ballpark. Against Penn State Behrend (11-4), they had won six consecutive contests in Meadville dating back to 2016. Alas, untimely miscues allowed the Lions to steal Wednesday's win and halt both streaks.

After the two teams traded zeroes over the first four innings, the Lions broke through with four consecutive runs in the fifth and sixth. Allegheny nearly escaped the sixth without giving up a run, but a dropped foul ball extended Cayden Turner's plate appearance. Given a second chance, Turner tripled and drove in Behrend's fourth run, which proved to be a key insurance run.

The Gators rallied with two runs in the bottom of the sixth and eighth frames. Johnny Hughes (Cheswick, Pa./Springdale) led off the sixth by ripping a double down the left-field line. He and Connor Kunkle (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) both scored on wild pitches, cutting Behrend's lead in half. Nick Banez (Edmonds, Wash./Meadowdale) also scored on a wild pitch in the eighth, before Zach Miner (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) singled home the tying run.

Tied at 4-all, freshman Ryan Finamore (Pittsburgh, Pa./Quaker Valley) took the mound with hopes of providing the Gators with another walk-off opportunity in the bottom of the ninth. He got the first two outs he needed, but a pop fly in shallow center representing the third out was also dropped. Two batters later, Thomas Nicely drove in the go-ahead run for the Lions.

Pinch hitter Jake Fix (Westlake, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) nearly got a ninth-inning rally started for the Blue and Gold. He led off the inning with a chopper that was headed up the middle of the infield. However, Penn State Behrend reliever Will McMahon got a lucky deflection before the ball passed the mound, leading to a routine groundout.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny scored four runs on four hits, including two doubles.
• Penn State Behrend tallied five runs on 10 hits.
• The Gators committed an uncharacteristic four errors, while the Lions finished with none.
• Hughes and Noah Philson (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) each clubbed one double.
• Miner was 1-for-4 with Allegheny's only RBI in the eighth inning.
• Starter Dawson Thomas (Espyville, Pa./Conneaut Area) pitched well in his first start of the spring, scattering three runs on six hits with three strikeouts over 5.0 innings.
• Turner and Nicely were two of the four Lions with multiple hits.
• McMahon earned the win out of the bullpen after giving up two runs on two hits in 3.0 innings.

News and Notes

• Allegheny's four-game win streak and seven-game home win streak both came to an end on Wednesday.
• The Gators are 10-2 in their last 12 meetings with Penn State Behrend dating back to 2016.
• Thomas logged season highs in innings pitched (5.0) and strikeouts (3) against the Lions.
• Sophomore outfielder Liam Irving (Olney, Md./Sherwood) extended his on-base streak to 19 consecutive games to open the 2026 campaign.
• Senior right-hander Tai Hopkins (Meadville, Pa./Cathedral Prep) recorded his first scoreless appearance of the year with one scoreless inning out of the bullpen.

Up Next
The Gators are back at home for a doubleheader against Chatham University on Saturday, March 28, beginning at 1 p.m.