Gator Baseball Falls 13-9

Apr 18, 2006

Boxscore

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Allegheny College baseball team (9-17) fell to the Westminster Titans (13-13) today in New Wilmington, Pa. The Gators scored four in the top of the first, only to find themselves down by six half an inning later, losing by a final of 13-9.

The non-conference match-up was Allegheny’s first of the variety in twenty-one days, a span over which the team has played .500 ball. After getting down early in its last game, Allegheny grabbed a big lead of its own against the Titans, scoring four runs in the top of the first on four hits.

A double by James Fernandez (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) got the inning started, and after a Westminster error, the Gators had runners on the corners. A single by Matt Young (State College) (right) plated Fernandez, and after a walk to Pete Obourn (Farmington, N.Y./ Victor) a Dan Ayer (Pittsburgh/ Mt. Lebanon) single gave the Gators a 2-0 lead. Another single, this one by Zack Oblack (Harrison City/ Penn-Trafford), brought home a pair of base runners, and made it a 4-0 Allegheny advantage.

The bottom half of the inning would not go well for Allegheny, however, as starting pitcher Aaron Skalko (Edinboro/ General McLane) saw the first six Titans reach base. The game tied, Allegheny brought in Michael Cinefra (Verona/ Penn Hills) to pitch, but the Titans continued to reach the base paths, totaling 10 runs in the inning.

Neither team would score in the second and third innings, but Westminster produced three more runs in the fourth inning, and held a comfortable 13-4 lead.

After a pair of singles and pair of walks Allegheny scored its fifth run in the top of the sixth. The bases loaded for Young, he would hit his fourth homerun of the year, narrowing the Titan lead to 13-9. Still no outs, the Gators would eventually get two more men on board, but couldn’t find a way to bring them in.

Both teams went down quietly in the seventh and eighth innings, but in the ninth Allegheny would attempt to rally. A two-out single by Eric Rich (McMurray/Peters Township) kept the game alive, and after a walk to Fernandez, Allegheny’s Mark Matsko (Beaver) would be hit by the pitch. The bases were now loaded for Young, who was 3-for-5 with a grand slam, but the hot bat produced a pop out, ending the game.

Both pitching staffs struggled with their accuracy in the contest, Allegheny walking five batters, Westminster walking 10. The Titans edged the Gators in hits 13 to 14, but runners left on base were a bigger factor, Westminster stranding eight compared to Allegheny’s 13.

Fernandez and Young upped their season averages after tallying a trio of hits, while Rich and Ayer each had a pair of singles.

After just their second nine-inning game of the year, the Gators return to seven-inning conference double-header action on Saturday, April 22, when they will face the Hiram Terriers in Hiram, Ohio.

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