Baseball Falls to Top Ranked Otterbein

Mar 20, 2007

Box Score

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Despite strong outings from pitchers James Fago (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) and Colt Viehdorfer (Morrisdale, Pa./West Branch), the Gators found themselves on the losing end of a 10-6 score to the top ranked team in NCAA Division III. The two combined for seven innings of work, allowing only two runs to the Otterbein College, receiving a preseason #1 ranking by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Allegheny got off to an early lead with a five run second inning with Pete Obourn (Farmington, N.Y./Victor) and Jimmy Fernandez (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) starting the inning with back-to-back singles. Mike Pereslucha (Pittsburgh, Pa./Kiski) hit a hard groundball to the shortstop, who bobbled it to load the bases before Eric Rich (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) followed with another hard hit ball at the third baseman causing another error to bring in the first run of the game. Brian Schmidt (Franklin, Pa./Franklin) and Steve Beckett (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) closed out the inning for the Gators with a pair of two RBI singles bringing the score to 5-0.

The Gators added another run in the fifth on an Obourn double, driving in Alex Herrnberger (Eighty Four, Pa./Canon McMillan), but that was the end of the scoring for the Blue and Gold.

Down 6-2, Otterbein came to the plate in the top of the eighth with newly substituted Obourn surrendering four quick singles, before relief pitcher Justin Abbott (Pittsburgh, Pa./Carrick) got the call. He walked the first batter and gave up a bunt single with the bases loaded. An error and ground out followed rounding out the scoring, giving Otterbein an 8-6 lead. Otterbein added two more runs in the ninth to close the scoring at 10-6.

Herrnberger led the Gators by going 3-for-4 from the plate, with four others picking up two hits as the Gators pounded the Cardinal pitching for 14 hits. Schmitt and Beckett each drove in a pair, while each of the six runs was scored by a different batter.

Abbott picked up the loss for the Gators, who struck out just one batter as a team.

The Gators next face off against the Flying Dutch of Hope College on Wednesday, March 21 at 2:30 p.m.

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