Box Scores:
Game One |
Game Two
MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny baseball team lost a pair of games to Otterbein, 5-3 and 5-4, in a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday.
The Gators recorded four double plays in game one, but allowed four runs in the first inning and were forced to play catch-up from the beginning.
Otterbein's Brian Hiscox gave his team the lead, driving in a run while reaching on an error. Elliott Greenhill added an RBI double and Wes Meadows and Robb Hendershot contributed RBI singles before Allegheny starting pitcher David Strawser induced an inning-ending, double-play groundout. The Blue and Gold committed two errors during the frame.
The Gators battled back for two runs in their half of the first. Hansen led off with a double, moved to third base on a Ben Lowmaster single and scored on Matt Stahl's RBI double down the left-field line. Andy Schleihauf then drove in Lowmaster with a sacrifice fly, trimming Allegheny's deficit to 4-2.
A third-inning RBI single by Meadows extended the Cardinals' advantage to 5-2 before the Gators struck back for their final run in the fourth. Zack Nichols singled, moved to second on an error and scored on Anthony Wilbur's line-drive single to left field.
Allegheny benefited from a number of breaks on defense, beginning with their first-inning double play. Otterbein's third inning may have produced more runs if not for center fielder Hansen's diving catch in right-center field to rob Greenhill of a hit.
In the fourth, Otterbein's Kevin Castle lined into a double play when Strawser snagged the drive and doubled a runner off second.
The Cardinal fifth ended on a line-out by Greenhill. Gator second baseman Jeff Dassner made the play and doubled a runner off first.
Then, in the sixth, Garrett Braxton flew into a double play for Otterbein. His drive was caught by right fielder James Fago, who doubled a Cardinal runner off second.
The Gators fell victim to similar circumstances in the sixth. With runners on first and second, Wilbur showed bunt, pulled the bat back and stroked a line drive into center field where Clayton Clever caught the ball and then doubled an Allegheny runner off second.
Down two runs in the seventh, a Gator rally seemed to be brewing. Hansen was hit by a pitch and Lowmaster reached with a single. Stahl then hit a high fly ball into right-center, which the right fielder, Braxton, made a diving catch on. Cardinal relief pitcher Dustin Reuter then recorded a game-ending strikeout.
Matt Frey was the winning pitcher for Otterbein. He worked the first 5 2/3 innings before being replaced by Reuter. Frey allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits while recording two strikeouts and one walk. Reuter allowed one hit in 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Strawser suffered the loss after pitching four innings. He gave up five runs -- only three earned -- and six hits. He finished with one strikeout and one walk. In relief, Kyle Berns gave up three hits in three scoreless innings while striking out three batters.
Offensively, Hansen went 2-for-3 while Lowmaster and Stahl batted 2-for-4.
For Otterbein, Meadows hit 2-for-3 with two RBIs, Hiscox went 2-for-4 with two runs and Quimby had a 2-for-3 game.
The Gators led the majority of game two before Meadows pounded a go-ahead, two-run homer over the left-center field wall in the sixth, giving the visitors a 5-4 lead. Quimby had driven in a run earlier in the frame.
Allegheny jumped ahead in the first on an RBI single by Lowmaster, which plated Schleihauf, who reached with a hit-by-pitch.
In the second, the Gators added their second run when Hansen drove a double into right-center. Fago led off the inning with a single and moved to third on Wilbur's two-out single before scoring on the Hansen hit.
Otterbein answered back in the third with an RBI single by Greenhill, cutting the Gator lead to 2-1.
The hosts put two runs on the board in the fourth to increase their advantage to 4-1. Dassner led off with a pinch-hit double. He scored on a double by Hansen. Aaron Lynch drove in Hansen with a single.
The Cardinals pulled within two runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Adam Becker. Then came the fateful sixth.
Justin Abbott was the losing pitcher for Allegheny. He pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up five runs (three earned) on six hits. Abbott also recorded two strikeouts and three walks before Meadows's dinger chased him.
Frank Brank pitched 1 1/3 scoreless frames in relief for the Gators.
For the Cardinals, Kyle Stull earned the win and Aaron Eckert pitched for the save.
At the plate, Schleihauf batted 3-for-3 for Allegheny while Fago went 2-for-3. Hansen hit 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Clayton Clever had a 2-for-2 game for the Cardinals.