LAJAS, PR: The Pitt-Greensburg baseball team used four tenth-inning runs to break up a 2-2 tie with Messiah College, eventually leading to a 6-2 Tuesday triumph by the Bobcats.
The victory evens the Bobcats' record at 4-4 on the year while Messiah moves to 4-6 overall.
After three scoreless innings opened the afternoon's play, Pitt-Greensburg lit the lights on the scoreboard for two fourth-inning runs. A Ryan Dodson RBI double got things started, scoring Greg Lynn (Ellwood City, PA, Ellwood City) followed by a Matt Germanoski (Ellwood City, PA, Ellwood City) fly out that brought in Anthony Bozzuto (Greensburg, PA, Hempfield) for a 2-0 advantage.
The Falcons fought back in the bottom of the fifth, plating a pair of runs to knot things up at 2-2.
Four scoreless innings would follow until the Bobcats blew the game open in the tenth inning. After doubling to left center to lead off the inning, Mike Spadafore (New Freedom, PA, Susquehannock) made his way around the bases, taking full advantage of two Falcon wild pitches to make the break for home and put UPG up 3-2. Two more runs would score of the bat of Ryan Dodson (Bethel Park, PA, Bethel Park), who delivered a two-run double with the bases loaded that extended the Bobcat lead to 5-2. Dylan Pounds (Houston, PA, Chartiers-Houston) capped the Bobcat rally with an RBI-double that brought Dodson in from second and slid the score to 6-2.
After entering in the ninth, Brandon Rowland (Greensburg, PA, Greensburg Salem) faced four batters in the in the bottom of the tenth, but surrendered just a walk on his way to his second victory of the season. In total, he'd allowed just one hit while striking out two in two innings of work. Rowland relieved freshman Joe Zufall (Bethel Park, PA, Bethel Park), who was impressive to say the least. Zufall held the Falcon lineup to just five hits and two runs, one earned over the first eight innings of the game.
Ryan Dodson led the offensive charge, tallying three of the Bobcats nine hits on the day. All three of Dodson's hits were doubles, adding a run scored and a team-high three RBI to his totals.
Pitt-Greensburg is right back to action tonight with a 7:00pm contest with Penn State Abington.
