PITTSBURGH, PA: Despite holding a 5-4 advantage over La Roche heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Bobcat baseball team would fall 6-5 to after extra innings in the opener. They'd then drop the night cap to the Redhawks 4-0 to succumb to the sweep.
With two losses, Pitt-Greensburg drops to 4-4 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference and 12-11-1 overall while conference leading La Roche improves to 9-2 in AMCC play and 15-7 on the year.
Game 1:
After falling behind 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning, the Bobcats would get to work with a big top of the third. A
Matt Moyer (Greensburg, PA, Hempfield) fielder's choice with the bases loaded would bring in
Dylan Pounds (Houston, PA, Chartiers-Houston) for UPG's first run of the day.
Mike Maleski (Pittsburgh, PA, Plum) would then deliver a two-out, two-run double to capture the lead 3-2.
Tyler Lilja (Greensburg, PA, Hempfield) would double next to score Maleski followed by an
Anthony Maroadi (North Huntingdon, PA, Norwin) RBI single that put Pitt-Greensburg up 5-2.
The Redhawks would get two runs back in the bottom of the third, promptly cutting the deficit to one at 5-4.
The score would remain the same all the up to the bottom of the seventh. La Roche would plate the tying run, forcing extra innings to decide the winner.
The eighth inning would see the Redhawks score their sixth run to capture opener by a 6-5 score.
The Bobcats would outhit La Roche 12-9 in game one but 11 walks collected by the Redhawks would cause problems for UPG.
Pounds,
Anthony Bozzuto (Greensburg, PA, Hempfield), Lilja, and Maroadi would all pick up two hits in the opener. Mike Maleski led the team in RBI with two.
Four pitcher's would make appearances for UPG with
Billy Elliott (Ligonier, PA, Ligonier Valley) starting the game. After 4.0 innings and allowing 4 runs on six hits with five walks, he'd make way for
Joe Stavor (West Mifflin, PA, West Mifflin) after the fourth, followed by
Brandon Rowland (Greensburg, PA, Greensburg Salem) who'd go 1.2 innings, allowing the game tying run.
Cory Deighan (Bethel Park, PA, Seton-La Salle) picked up the loss after entering in the eighth and allowing one run, two hits, and two walks.
Game 2:The nightcap would see the Bobcats once again outhit La Roche 5-4 but fail to score a run on their way to a 4-0 loss.
The Redhawks would pick up a run in the first and fourth and a pair of runs in the sixth to bring us to the final.
The Bobcats would have runners in scoring position in both the fourth and fifth innings but fail to capitalize, leaving the door open for a couple costly errors and timely hits by La Roche that led to their second victory of the day.
Greg Lynn (Ellwood City, PA, Ellwood City) and
Matt Germanoski (Ellwood City, PA, Ellwood City) finished game two with respectable 2-3 performances. Bozzuto would tally Pitt-Greensburg's remaining hit, a double to sum up the offense.
Pounds was impressive on the mound in the defeat. He'd give up just four hits and three walks and allow just two earned runs in six innings of work. Pounds would also record seven strikeouts against the potent Redhawk lineup.
Pitt-Greensburg is right back at it tomorrow with a 2:00pm doubleheader at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
