MEADVILLE, Pa. -- An 11-run sixth inning propelled the Allegheny College baseball team to a 14-1 home-opening victory over Fredonia State on Saturday at Robert M. Garbark '32 Field.

The makeup of Allegheny's (6-4) original home opener from February 25, the two teams moved Saturday's first pitch up to 10 a.m. to avoid the afternoon thunderstorm. The weather turned out to be perfect for a fireworks show, which the Gators provided with a monster sixth inning.

Already up 3-0, the Blue and Gold almost batted around the lineup twice against four different Fredonia (1-3) pitchers. They logged nine hits while three Gators were hit by pitches, two were walked, one reached via an infield error, and one drove in a run with a sac fly. Freshman shortstop Connor Kunkle (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) and sophomore catcher Ty Eberhardt (Pittsburgh, Pa./Hopewell) both had two hits in the inning, including a double.

Things escalated quickly for Allegheny in the big inning. Following a Kunkle lead-off double and an Eberhardt base hit, Nick Banez (Edmonds, Wash./Meadowdale) dropped a safety squeeze that turned into a bunt base hit. Two at-bats later, Noah Philson (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) reached on a costly error by the Fredonia second baseman, and Jake Fix (Westlake, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) loaded the bases after being plunked by a pitch. That led to the first pitching change, but Ryan Cochran (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) welcomed the new arm to the mound with a bases-loaded, RBI single through the left side of the infield. An infield single by Zach Miner (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) re-loaded the bases, and Kunkle plated two while attempting to stretch a single into a double in his second plate appearance of the frame. With the bases juiced again, Fix smacked a two-bagger to right that scored two more runs to put the Gators up 14-0.

The Blue Devil offense nearly responded in the top of the seventh. A single and two walks allowed Fredonia to load the bases, but reliever Michael Alspaugh (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) got out of the jam and preserved the shutout by inducing a hard ground ball to second base. However, Fredonia managed to spoil Allegheny's shutout bid in the ninth with a two-out, RBI hit from Tucker Schwab.

Inside the Box Score

• Every Allegheny starter had at least one hit, and five Gators earned multiple RBIs.
• Eberhardt finished 2-for-6 with a double, two runs, and two RBIs from the lead-off spot.
• Philson was 2-for-5 with two runs scored, two RBIs, and two great diving catches in right field.
• Tommaso Floro (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) had two hits, two RBIs, and two sacrifice flies.
• Liam Irving (Olney, Md./Sherwood), Miner, and Kunkle all were 3-for-4 at the plate, and Kunkle paced all Gators with three RBIs.
• Starting pitcher Ben Shields (Charleroi, Pa./Charleroi Area) scattered four hits and one walk across 6.1 innings while striking out seven.
• Alspaugh struck out three in 1.2 innings, while Tai Hopkins (Meadville, Pa./Cathedral Prep) got all three of his outs in the ninth with strikeouts.
• Schwab, Fredonia's designated hitter, finished 2-for-4 with the team's only RBI.
• Starter Morgan Zientara received the loss after giving up three runs on eight hits in 4.0 innings.

News and Notes

• Allegheny has won seven consecutive contests against Fredonia State dating back to 2014.
• The Gators logged season highs in hits (19) and RBIs (14) while scoring a season-best 14 runs for the third time this spring.
• The last time Allegheny scored 11 runs in an inning came on March 28, 2024, when the Gators plated 11 in the third en route to a 17-14 victory over the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford; Saturday's home plate umpire, John Frey, was behind the plate for that game as well. 
• Irving and Banez both extended their on-base streaks, having reached base safely in all 10 games this spring.
• Shields earned his second win of the season while lowering his ERA to 2.25 with a scoreless appearance.

Up Next
The Gators will travel to Wooster, Ohio, to face the College of Wooster on Wednesday, March 11, at 3 p.m.