ERIE, Pa. – The Allegheny baseball team concluded their non-conference schedule Monday (April 27) at Penn State Behrend, defeating the Lions 10-9 in a back-and-forth road game.
 
The lead changed hands several times with the Gators finding the go-ahead run in the ninth.
 
The Gators jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first. Wyatt Burchill (Saegertown, Pa./Saegertown) hit a one-out single to left field. Ryan Cochran (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) followed up with a double to right center before a Zach Miner (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) single drove Burchill in.
 
The lead was short lived as the Lions scored two runs on two hits in the bottom of the frame. They tacked on two more runs in the second to extend their lead to 4-1.
 
Allegheny answered in the third, tying the game up. Burchill was hit by a pitch to start off the inning. Cochran tallied his second hit of the game on a single through the right side before Miner loaded the bases on an infield single for his second hit. Burchill would come across the plate on a wild pitch, and Cochran scored on a balk. Later in the inning, a groundout by Michael Alspaugh (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) drove Miner in, tying the game at four.
 
The Gators took the lead with a run in the fourth. Burchill was hit by a pitch for the second time. Cochran and Miner then recorded their third hits of the game, back-to-back, as the latter drove in Burchill, putting the Gators in front by a run.
 
The Allegheny lead grew in the fifth after getting out of a jam in the fourth. Singles by Alspaugh and Jayden LeBoeuf (Davie, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) and a walk drawn by Connor Kunkle (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) loaded the bases with one out. A sacrifice fly by Liam Irving (Olney, Md./Sherwood) brought a run in as the lead reached two runs. 
 
The back-and-forth continued as the Lions regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth, plating three runs on four hits. 
 
The Gators tied it right back up in the sixth when LeBoeuf drove in Alspaugh before taking the lead back in the seventh. After Burchill reached on an error, Cochran produced his fourth hit of the afternoon, a two-run home run over the left field fence. It marked his 12th home run of the year.
 
The Lions loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth. The Gators held them to just a single run on a sacrifice fly as the teams were deadlocked at nine entering the ninth inning. 
 
Burchill drew a one-out walk in the ninth. Cochran moved him to second on a groundout. Miner, who already had three hits in the game, delivered his career-high fourth, allowing Burchill to come around from second and put the lead back in favor of the Gators.
 
Penn State Behrend hit a single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Miner, after hitting the go-ahead RBI in the top of the frame, took over on the mound and recorded the final out as the Gators won the back-and-forth non-conference contest.
 
Inside the Box

• Cochran had four hits, driving in two runs on a home run while also doubling.
• Miner also had four hits, driving in three runs. He also registered the final out on the mound to earn the save.
• LeBoeuf had a career-high three hits, hitting a double.
• Alspaugh had a multi-hit game, driving in a run.
• Irving had a sacrifice fly to drive in a run.
• Nick Banez (Edmonds, Wash./Meadowdale) doubled in the game.
• Brett McSparran (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) earned the win in relief, going 1.1 innings and allowing just one hit.
• Johnny Hughes (Cheswick, Pa./Springdale) pitched 3.0 innings of relief.

News and Notes

• Allegheny is now 55-20 all-time against Penn State Behrend after splitting games this season.
• Cochran currently leads the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) with 12 home runs. He also currently tied for sixth for the most in a season for a Gator.
• Miner and LeBouef had career-highs in hits. 

Up Next
The Gators wrap-up their regular season and PAC schedule at Geneva Friday (May 1).