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Gators Split with Hiram
April 18, 2007
MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny College Gators dropped their first game of the 2007 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) season, splitting a double header with the Terriers of Hiram College. Allegheny won the first game 11-7 before the Terriers held on for the 6-5 win in the nightcap, dropping the Gators to 7-1 in the league this season.
The win ended two streaks for Hiram, as they had not beaten the Gators since the 1992 season, and had not won in Meadville since 1988.
In the opener, things looked gloomy for the Gators (12-12, 7-1 NCAC), as they trailed 6-0 heading into the bottom of the second inning, before the squad started their rally, scoring a run in the bottom of the second when Emmalynn Sigrist (East Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville North) grounded out to the second baseman. The play scored Rachel Ryan (West Salem, Ohio/Northwestern) who reached on a walk before advancing to third on an Elizabeth Burr (Farmdale, Ohio/Badger), left, double.
After surrendering another run in the top of the third, taking Hiram’s (13-9, 3-3 NCAC) lead to 7-1, the Gators rallied, scoring six runs to knot the score at seven runs apiece. Abby Bodenlos’ (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) RBI double scoring Sarah Reilly(Dunkirk, N.Y./Dunkirk) got things in motion for the Blue and Gold, before Crystal Ptacek (Allison Park, Pa./North Allegheny) doubled, putting runners on second and third. Rebecca Burns (Rogersville, Pa./West Green) followed with an RBI single, before Ryan was intentionally walked to load the bases. Burr followed by drawing a walk, scoring Bodenlos, before Ryan and Burns each scored on the same wild pitch. Stephanie Lasinski’s (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine Richland) groundout scored Burr, capping the inning for the Gators.
After holding the Terriers scoreless for the first time in an inning on the day, Allegheny took the lead for good with another run in the fourth when Burns singled, scoring Bodenlos, giving the hosts the 8-7 lead. Three more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, coming on a Ryan RBI single scoring Ptacek, a Lasinski fielders’ choice scoring Burns, and a Katie Wills (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour) single scoring Ryan ended the scoring in the game for the Gators.
The Gators scored their 11 runs on 10 total hits, three coming from Burns, who went 3-for-4 in the game. Burr was a perfect 2-for-2, while five others had one hit. Ryan scored a team-leading three times, while Bodenlos, Ptacek and Burns each scored twice. Burns and Lasinski each drove in a pair of runs to lead the squad. Allison Korotkin (Birmingham, Mich./Detroit Country Day), right, pitched four innings in relief, scattering four hits and allowing no runs in earning the win, improving her record to 4-1 on the year. Alicia Morley (Sinclairville, N.Y./Cassadaga Valley) started the game for the Gators, allowing just one earned run while striking out one in the no-decision.
Hiram was led by Stephanie Zunic, who was 3-for-4 from the plate with a trio of doubles, driving in two runs in the losing effort. Jamie Brown pitched three innings of relief, giving up four runs, only one of which was earned, picking up the tough-luck loss, dropping her record to 3-1.
In the second game the Terrier bats once again came alive early, as the visitors used two-run home runs in both the first and second innings to jump out to a 4-0 lead, adding two more runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 6-0 lead. The Gator bats were silenced for the first five innings of the game, before coming out of their hibernation in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring four runs to cut the deficit to two at 6-4.
Bodenlos started the rally with a double, before Ryan was intentionally walked for the second time on the day to put runners on first and second with two outs. Elizabeth Burr singled, scoring Bodenlos. Allison Burr (Farmdale, Ohio/Badger), bottom left, followed her sister with a single to load the bases before Lasinski added two more tallies for the Gators with a single through the left side, scoring Elizabeth Burr and Ryan. Wills ended the rally with another single, scoring Allison Burr, and putting the game once again within reach.
After retiring the first three batters to come to the plate in the top of the seventh inning, Bodenlos led off the bottom of the inning with a solo home run to right center field, cutting the deficit to one at 6-5. Relief pitcher Brown came in, however, and retired the next three Gators batters, picking up her first save of the season.
Bodenlos and Allison Burr each had two hits in the game, Bodenlos going 2-for-4 while Burr was 2-for-3 from the plate. Bodenlos also scored twice while Lasinski drove in two runs, giving her four on the afternoon. Korotkin picked up the loss for the Gators, giving up six runs, four earned, while striking out one in five and one-third inning of work, before Morley pitched the final 1.2 innings of relief, striking out one and scattering two hits.
Candace Barney was 2-for-3 in the win for the Terriers, while Zunic reached base in two of her four at-bats, including the second of the two-run homers for Hiram. Jenna Nemeth picked up the win, pitching six innings and allowing five runs on eight hits, and walking just one.
The Gators take to the road for their next pair of conference match-ups, as the team travels to Granville, Ohio on Saturday, April 21, to take on the Big Red of Denison University, the coach’s pre-season favorite heading into the 2007 season, before traveling to Ohio Wesleyan a day later to take on the Battling Bishops, a make-up of a game that was postponed a weekend ago.