MEADVILLE, Pa: The Pitt-Greensburg baseball team was narrowly bested 14-12 in an offensive slugfest at Allegheny College on Thursday.
The nonconference loss drops the Bobcats to 13-11 on the season while the Gators improve to 9-10 overall.
The scoring started early on Thursday with the Bobcats jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. A Dylan Pounds (Houston, PA, Chartiers-Houston) RBI-single got things going followed by a Ryan Dodson (Bethel Park, PA, Bethel Park) sacrifice fly and an Anthony Bozzuto (Greensburg, PA, Hempfield) one-run single that combined, accounted for three runs and saw the first five Bobcats reach base safely.
Allegheny answered with their opportunities in the opening inning after plating a pair of runs to cut the UPG lead to 3-2. They'd knot things up with a single run in the second inning and add another in the third to take a 4-3 advantage.
Pitt-Greensburg didn't wait long to respond, using a Pounds sacrifice fly to bring in their fourth run and tie things up at 4-4.
The Gators bats got active in the bottom of the fifth, combining for four runs to move ahead an 8-4 score.
Once again the Bobcats would answer quickly, getting to work in the top of the sixth starting with back-to-back singles by Pounds and Ryan Dodson that brought in runs five and six. Two batters later a Matt Germanoski (Ellwood City, PA, Ellwood City) sacrifice fly pulled the Bobcats within one followed by a game-tying Ryan Dodson run on an Ian Hart (Lititz, PA, Warwick) hit ball that forced an error on the Gator first baseman.
Another Allegheny run in the bottom of the sixth recaptured the advantage for the home team at 9-8.
Pounds was back at in the top of the seventh inning, sending his third RBI-single to center field to pull UPG even at 9-9. A Ryan Dodson one-run double would then put Pitt-Greensburg out in front and with another Allegheny error, he'd make his way home for an 11-9 advantage in favor of the Bobcats.
Two Allegheny runs in the bottom of the eighth evened things up at 11-11 heading into the ninth.
Pitt-Greensburg notched their 12th run in the top of the ninth, moving UPG ahead 12-11 and continuing the back-and-forth affair.
Unfortunately for the Bobcats a walk-off two run homer by the Gators would end the contest by a 14-12 score in favor of Allegheny.
Pitt-Greensburg picked up 17 hits on the afternoon led by Pounds 3-4 performance that included three runs scored and a team-high four RBI. Ryan Dodson wasn't far behind, going 2-4 with a pair of runs, three RBI. Greg Lynn (Ellwood City, PA, Ellwood City) caps the top performers with three hits, a stolen base, and a team-high four runs scored. Lynn's four runs captures a school record for the infield mainstain, giving him 133 for his career and surpasses the record of 131 set by former infield partner Dylin Brooks in 2014.
The Bobcats threw seven pitchers at the Gators with Adam Dodson (Bethel Park, PA, Bethel Park) picking up the loss, his first of the season.
Pitt-Greensburg returns to conference play this Saturday, as branch campus rival Pitt-Bradford travels to Greensburg for a 1:00pm doubleheader.
