The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg baseball team mounted a late rally but ultimately fell just short in a 12–11 loss to Albion on Sunday evening. The Bobcats held an early lead and scored four runs in the ninth inning to threaten a comeback before Albion recorded the final out.
Pitt-Greensburg struck first in the opening inning. After a one-out double by Colby Rearick and a wild pitch moved him to third, Tommy Smith brought him home with a sacrifice fly to give the Bobcats a 1–0 lead.
Albion answered in the second, capitalizing on an error before Drew Ribble delivered an RBI single to even the score at 1–1.
The Bobcats quickly regained control in the third inning. Ben Aftanas drew a walk and later scored on a triple to left by Smith. Colin Solinski followed with an RBI groundout to extend the advantage to 3–1. Albion responded in the bottom half with RBI hits from Gavin White and Tyler Murphy to tie the game at 3–3.
Pitt-Greensburg put together its biggest offensive inning in the fourth. Adrian Pagan Cruz walked to lead off the frame and a series of walks loaded the bases. A wild pitch allowed one run to score before Aftanas delivered a two-run double to center field, pushing the Bobcats in front 6–3.
Albion answered with a decisive rally in the bottom of the inning. The Britons strung together hits and took advantage of wild pitches to plate five runs and flip the game, taking an 8–6 lead.
The score remained unchanged until the eighth inning when Pagan Cruz provided a spark with a solo home run to left field, trimming the deficit to 8–7. Albion responded again in the bottom half, highlighted by a three-run homer from Max Holser that helped extend the lead to 12–7.
Pitt-Greensburg refused to go quietly in the ninth. Rearick was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Smith followed with a single. Solinski drove in a run with a single through the right side, and Lucas Judy later added an RBI groundout. Hunter Gideons delivered a two-run single to center to bring the Bobcats within one run at 12–11, but Albion recorded a strikeout to end the comeback bid.
Offensively, the Bobcats finished with 12 hits. Aftanas led the way with two hits and two RBIs, while Smith went 2-for-2 with a triple, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Pagan Cruz added two hits, including a home run, while Gideons drove in two runs and reached base three times.
Calvin Bernard started on the mound for Pitt-Greensburg, while Matt Mazzara provided relief work out of the bullpen.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats showed resilience late, scoring four runs in the ninth and bringing the tying run into scoring position before Albion closed out the contest.
Pitt-Greensburg has the day off Monday, then returns to action to face Stockton Tuesday with a 9:30 AM first pitch.
