GAMBIER, Ohio -- The Allegheny College baseball team nearly rallied all the way back from a nine-run deficit on Thursday evening against Kenyon College, but fell by a final score of 11-9 on the road at McCloskey Field.
The Owls (11-10) opened the non-conference contest with nine unanswered runs, including a six-spot in the second inning that began loudly with a two-run homer. But the Gators (14-8) quickly came to life in the fourth and fifth innings and answered with seven runs of their own.
In the top of the fourth, a two-out error extended the inning after the first two batters were retired. In addition to RBI base hits from
Noah Philson (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) and
Liam Irving (Olney, Md./Sherwood), freshman outfielder
Michael Alspaugh (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) crushed a two-run home run to left field to bring the Gators within four runs at 9-5. In the fifth, Philson laced a two-out double to the wall in right center, driving home
Zach Miner (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) for the team's seventh run.
After holding the Owls scoreless for back-to-back innings, Kenyon added two key insurance runs in the sixth on a Ben Russell homer. Those proved to be the deciding runs, as
Tyler Skaggs (Champion Heights, Ohio/Champion) – in his first game back after missing a month due to injury – clubbed a two-run shot to left center in the top of the eighth. Allegheny put the tying runs on base in the ninth, but Kenyon reliever Jack Enger overcame a two-out error to save the 11-9 victory.
Inside the Box Score
- Allegheny scored nine runs on eight hits and committed two errors.
- Kenyon scored 11 runs on 14 hits and three errors.
- Philson finished 3-for-5 with a double, two runs, and two RBIs.
- Skaggs was 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs.
- Alspaugh's only hit of the evening was a two-run homer in the fourth.
- Kenyon was led offensively by Gio Giuliani, who had four hits, including two doubles.
- Russell and Zack Webber both homered for the Owls.
- Kenyon's Jackson Niedel earned the win on the mound with 2.0 scoreless innings and three strikeouts.
- Allegheny starter Dawson Thomas (Espyville, Pa./Conneaut Area) was taxed with the loss after giving up five runs (four earned) in one-plus innings.
News and Notes
- Allegheny and Kenyon met for the first time since the Gators left the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) following the 2022 season.
- Thursday's loss was Allegheny's first in Gambier, Ohio, since the second half of a doubleheader on May 1, 2019; since 2013, the Gators have lost only two road games at Kenyon.
- Skaggs hit his first home run of the season and the sixth of his career.
- Alspaugh's home run was the first of his freshman season.
- Freshman Ryan Hirschberg (Los Angeles, Calif./Palisades Charter) made his first collegiate start at catcher and logged his first hit against the Owls.
Up Next
The Gators will travel to Washington, Pennsylvania, for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader against No. 22 Washington and Jefferson College on Saturday, April 4, beginning at 1 p.m.
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