Pitt-Greensburg battled back to tie the game midway through, but a pair of big innings by Stockton proved to be the difference as the Bobcats fell 15–6 on Monday morning at the Chain of Lakes Complex.
The Bobcats showed resilience throughout the game, erasing an early deficit and threatening late, but Stockton pulled away with a four-run seventh inning and a six-run ninth to secure the victory.
Pitt-Greensburg threatened early in the bottom of the first inning. Ben Aftanas drew a walk and Colby Rearick followed with a single to put two runners aboard. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, but Stockton escaped the jam with a strikeout and an inning-ending double play to keep the game scoreless.
Stockton struck first in the third inning when Yenuelle Rodriguez delivered an RBI single to plate Liam Schwinn for a 1–0 lead. The Ospreys added another run in the fourth on an RBI double from Jimmy Casey, stretching the lead to 2–0.
The Bobcats got on the board in the fourth. Ethan Steinmetz singled and Neo Miller followed with a base hit up the middle that also took a bounce off the center fielder, allowing Hunter Gideons to score and cut the deficit to 2–1.
Stockton pushed the lead back to two in the fifth with an RBI double by Joe Gmitter, but Pitt-Greensburg responded with its best inning of the day in the bottom half. Tommy Smith opened the rally with a double before Josh Preston drove him in with a single that skipped past the right fielder, allowing Preston to reach third. Jonah Marks then lined a double to left field to score Preston and tie the game at 3–3.
The momentum shifted in the sixth inning. Stockton capitalized on a pair of errors to plate two unearned runs and reclaim the lead at 5–3.
An explosive seventh inning by the Ospreys widened the gap. After a run-scoring single by Evan Palmer made it 6–3, Schwinn delivered the big blow with a bases-clearing triple down the right field line, pushing the Stockton lead to 9–3.
Pitt-Greensburg mounted one final push in the eighth. A leadoff walk by Neo Miller sparked the rally, and Aftanas followed with an RBI double to right-center. Two batters later, Smith launched a two-run homer to right field, trimming the deficit to 9–6 and giving the Bobcats new life.
However, Stockton answered decisively in the ninth inning. The Ospreys scored six runs in the frame, highlighted by a three-run home run from Casey, to extend the lead to 15–6 and seal the game.
Smith led the Bobcats offensively with a standout performance, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run, and two RBI. Preston added two hits and an RBI, while Aftanas, Marks, and Miller each drove in a run. Pitt-Greensburg finished with 10 hits as a team.
On the mound, Mason Miller gave the Bobcats a solid start, allowing three runs while striking out five over five innings before Stockton's offense broke through against the bullpen.
Pitt-Greensburg will look to bounce back as its concludes the Florida trip tomorrow with a doubleheader against Drew.
