BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Allegheny baseball team concluded their regular season with a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader sweep at Geneva Saturday (May 2).
The Gators picked up a 15-8 win in game one and a 12-8 victory in game two.
After finishing PAC play with a 16-6 record, the Gators earned the third-seed in the upcoming conference tournament.
Game One - Allegheny 15, Geneva 8
The Gators got on the board in the top of the first.
Wyatt Burchill (Saegertown, Pa./Saegertown) drew a walk and stole second before
Noah Philson (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) drove him in on a two-out RBI single.
Allegheny added three more in the third. Philson drew a bases loaded walk to score the first run. Later in the inning,
Nick Banez (Edmonds, Wash./Meadowdale) plated two more on a single. However, the Golden Tornadoes matched the three runs in the bottom of the inning to keep it a one run game.
The bats came alive for the Gators over the next three innings as they scored 11 runs. In the fourth, Burchill hit an RBI single while
Ryan Cochran (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) and
Connor Kunkle (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) had sacrifice flies.
Michael Alspaugh (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) drove in the other run in the inning.
The fifth inning saw three more runs for the Gators. For the second straight inning, Burchill drove in a run on a single. Philson also tallied a RBI single in the inning while Cochran took advantage of a wild pitch to score.
The last four runs for the Gators came in the sixth. Banez registered another RBI on a single.
Jayden LeBoeuf (Davie, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) scored on an error while Cochran and
Liam Irving (Olney, Md./Sherwood) each had a sacrifice fly.
The Golden Tornadoes scored five runs between the sixth and seventh innings, but they were not enough to overcome the deficit as the Gators captured game one 15-8.
Inside the Box
- Philson and Banez each drove in three runs on two hits.
- Burchill had a pair of RBI singles.
- Cochran drove in two runs on sacrifice flies.
- Irving also had a sacrifice fly while producing two hits at the plate.
- Alspaugh and Kunkle drove in runs.
- Zach Miner (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) earned the win on the mound, his third of the year. He allowed just two earned runs on one hit.
- Johnny Hughes (Cheswick, Pa./Springdale) pitched three innings of relief, allowing just two hits.
Game Two - Allegheny 12, Geneva 8
The Gators started game two with a five run first inning. Irving hit a leadoff double followed by a Burchill bunt single. Cochran then put the Gators on the board as he delivered his 13th home run of the season. Later in the inning,
Vinny Sarcone (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) hit an RBI single, scoring Philson. Kunkle came across the plate for the fifth run of the inning. Geneva made up a pair of runs in the bottom of the first as the Gators led 5-2.
Allegheny added a run in both the second and third. Cochran drove in the run in the second off his third sacrifice fly of the day. In the third,
Tyler Skaggs (Champion Heights, Ohio/Champion) hit his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot, as the lead reached 7-2.
After the Golden Tornadoes scored twice in the third, the Gators matched the runs in the fourth. Banez led-off the frame with the Gators third home run of the game, and his fourth of the season. A Miner ground rule double with two outs brought Cochran in as their lead reached 9-4.
Geneva made it a one-run game as they scored once in the fourth and three more times in the fifth, dropping the Allegheny lead to 9-8. The Golden Tornadoes threatened for more in the seventh, putting two runners on with one out. However, Alspaugh struck out the next two batters to preserve the lead.
The Gators extended their lead in the eighth. After a Banez double and an Irving infield single to start the inning, Burchill hit a sacrifice fly to bring Banez in. Cochran then hammered his second home run of the game, and 14th of the year, a two-run shot to make it 12-8.
Allegheny kept Geneva off the board in the final four innings as they finished the regular season with a doubleheader sweep.
Inside the Box
- Cochran, with his two home runs, had a career-high six RBI.
- Seven Gators had multi-hit games.
- Banez homered and doubled in the game.
- Miner had two hits, including a double.
- Burchill had two hits with a RBI.
- Philson tripled and singled while Kunkle had a pair of singles.
- Skaggs hit a solo home run.
- Sarcone had a RBI single.
- Alspaugh earned the win in relief. He gave up just one hit and no runs while striking out seven batters over 3.2 innings.
- Parker McRay (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) struck out six batters over 2.2 innings.
News and Notes
- Allegheny is now 29-18 all-time against Geneva.
- Skaggs hit his tenth career home run while Banez had his fourth.
- Cochran's 14 home runs is now tied for third most in a season for a Gator, two shy of tying the record.
- The Gators scored 10 or more runs in 18 regular season games.
- The team's 37 home runs this season is their most in a season since 2003.
Up Next
The Gators will be competing in the 2026 PAC Championship Tournament starting next week at Washington and Jefferson as the third seed.
