Allegheny Picks Up Split with Case

May 2, 2007

Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box

MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny College baseball team put the finishing touches on its regular season schedule with a split against Case Western Reserve University on Wednesday, May 2, at Robertson Field. The Gators earned the victory in the opener 4-3, before stumbling in the nightcap 8-1.

Case (11-20) jumped out 1-0 in the first inning on Allegheny (14-21) starter Matt Dishong (Venetia, Pa./Ringgold), pictured right, plating an unearned run on a ground out. The Gators came right back with an unearned run of their own as Jimmy Fernandez (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) singled and came around to score on a dropped fly ball by the center fielder.

The Spartans kept the pressure on the hosts by adding two more runs in the top of the fourth inning on a single by Chip Dean, but once again Allegheny retaliated in its next at bat as Pete Obourn (Farmington, N.Y./State College) blasted a two-out, two-run home run to left field to knot the game at 3-3. It was his fourth longball of the spring, tying him for the team lead.

Dishong was lifted after five effective innings in favor of veteran right-hander Colt Viehdorfer (Morrisdale, Pa./West Branch) who efficiently retired six of the seven batters he faced over the last two innings. The Gator offense, meanwhile, came up with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth as Mike Pereslucha (Pittsburgh, Pa./Kiski) led off the frame with a single and then came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Eric Rich (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township).

Viehdorfer picked up the win, evening his record at 4-4, while Obourn, Fernandez, and Brian Schmidt (Utica, Pa./Franklin) each managed a pair of base hits in the opener.

The first three innings of the nightcap went quietly as neither team put up much of an offensive threat. Case once again touched home first in the fourth inning, before Allegheny tallied its only run in the bottom half of the frame when Rich scored on a fielder’s choice by Alex Herrnberger (Eighty Four, Pa./Canon McMillan), shown at the left.

The Spartans took advantage of a pair of Gator relievers in the fifth and seventh innings, touching up Scott Rea (Cleveland, Ohio/Rocky River) and Justin Abbott (Pittsburgh, Pa./Carrick) for seven runs on nine hits, including a home run by Kevin Haley in the final frame.

C.J. Knudsen (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) tossed three shutout innings to start the nightcap, before giving way to Rea, who picked up the loss, in the fifth. John Thuermer notched the complete game for Case, allowing eight hits and striking out one.

James Fago (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) finished 2-for-3 at the plate for Allegheny, while Obourn picked up another base knock.

Haley paced the Spartan attack on the day with a combined 4-for-6 effort with three runs scored and two RBI. Marshall Hampton picked up five hits in six appearances at the dish, while Phile Keefe managed three singles in the nightcap.

Allegheny now must turn its attention to the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament as the Blue & Gold face the task of traveling to the top seed out of the West Division, Ohio Wesleyan University, for a semifinal match up on Saturday, May 5. The two squads will play a pair of nine-inning affairs to determine which team will advance to the championship games the following weekend, and if necessary, will embark on a third contest on Sunday, May 6. Saturday’s games are slated to begin at 1 p.m.

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