GREENSBURG, Pa: With the Pitt-Greensburg baseball team trailing 7-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Ryan Dodson (Bethel Park, PA, Bethel Park) stepped in and sent a grand slam soaring over the centerfield fence to deliver the Bobcats an 8-7 come-from-behind victory over Bethany College.
With Monday's win, Pitt-Greensburg evens their record to 8-8 while the Bison fall to 5-8 on the year.
Three and a half scoreless innings opened the afternoon's action before the Bobcats broke the 0-0 deadlock in the bottom of the fourth. Anthony Bozzuto (Greensburg, PA, Hempfield) got the scoring started with a sacrifice fly that scored Chris Common (Trafford, PA, Penn-Trafford) from third for the 1-0 UPG advantage. They'd add another run one batter later, with a Matt Moyer (Greensburg, PA, Hempfield) RBI-single that stretched the score to 2-0.
Bethany responded with four runs in the top of the fifth to capture a 4-2 lead. But, the Bobcats would get one back in the bottom of the inning, using a Common single to score Mike Spadafore (New Freedom, PA, Susquehannock) and bring UPG within one at 4-3.
The Bison extended their advantage to 7-3 in the top of the seventh while holding the Bobcats scoreless in the bottom inning.
Bethany would fail to add to their lead in the top of the eighth and leave the door open for the Pitt-Greensburg rally to begin. Dylan Pounds (Houston, PA, Chartiers-Houston) got things going with a lead-off single, followed by a Bozzuto one-run double that scored Pounds one batter later. After Moyer reached first on a heady play, Matt Germanoski (Ellwood City, PA, Ellwood City) kept the rally rolling with a single to right field that loaded the bases for the Bobcats. Head Coach, Anthony Williams then brought in Ryan Dodson to pinch hit and he'd deliver the game winner with one swing.
Now holding the 8-7 advantage, Pounds took the mound in the ninth with just three outs standing between the Bobcats and victory. That's exactly what he'd force, ending the game with a one-two-three top of the ninth with a groundout, strikeout, and strikeout.
The win belongs to Dakota McWilliams (Connellsville, PA, Connellsville) who entered in the seventh to hold the Bison hitless in an inning and a third. Pounds earns the save, his first of the season, with a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts. Travis Sanner (Dawson, PA, Frazier) gave UPG four solid innings in the start, before making way for Cohl Gibbs (Williamstown, NJ, Williamstown) to provide 2.2 innings of middle relief.
Pitt-Greensburg notched 12 hits on the afternoon, with Common, Pounds, Germanoski, and Spadafore each picking up a pair. Pounds added a team-high two runs scored while Ryan Dodson led the RBI charge with four, compliments of his bases loaded round tripper.
The Bobcats will open conference play this Wednesday with Penn State Altoona making the trip to Bobcat Park for the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opening doubleheader slated for a 1:00pm start.
