Game 1: Mt. Aloysius 14, Pitt-Greensburg 7
Pitt-Greensburg grabbed the early lead in Friday's opener, but Mt. Aloysius used a pair of big innings to pull away for a 14-7 win in the first game of the doubleheader at Bobcat Park.
The Bobcats threatened in the first when William Somers and Colby Rearick opened the inning with singles and both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Mt. Aloysius escaped the jam, but Pitt-Greensburg did not have to wait long to break through. In the second, Jonah Marks singled up the middle and Somers followed by driving a two-run home run to right field to put UPG in front, 2-0.
Conner Burkey kept that lead intact through three scoreless innings, striking out six over the first three frames, before the Mounties swung the momentum in the fourth. Trent Dickson opened the scoring for Mt. Aloysius with a solo homer, and after Anthony Maseto doubled and Michael Todd walked, Liam McCarty tied the game with an RBI single. Dimitri Spagnola then delivered the decisive blow in the inning, a three-run homer to right center that pushed Mt. Aloysius ahead 5-2.
Mt. Aloysius added another run in the fifth on Sidric Grove's solo home run, but the Bobcats answered in the bottom half. Tommy Smith doubled down the left-field line to start the rally, and Colin Solinski followed with a two-run homer to right that trimmed the deficit to 6-4.
Burkey finished six innings with 10 strikeouts to keep Pitt-Greensburg within striking distance, but the Mounties broke the game open in the seventh. Mt. Aloysius scored eight times in the frame, stringing together six hits, two walks, and a bases-loaded RBI walk before adding a two-run single from Lucas Edwards and another run on a wild pitch. By the time the inning ended, the visitors had built a 14-4 cushion.
Pitt-Greensburg continued to battle in the bottom of the seventh. Rearick led off with a single, Solinski followed with a base hit, and Josh Preston brought home a run with a single to center. Marks then laced a two-run double to left center to account for the final margin. Somers and Solinski each drove in two runs, while Marks finished with two hits and two RBIs in the opener.
Game 2: Mt. Aloysius 11, Pitt-Greensburg 6
Pitt-Greensburg started fast again in the nightcap and mounted a late push in the ninth, but Mt. Aloysius completed the sweep with an 11-6 victory in the second game of the doubleheader.
The Mounties struck first in the opening inning on an RBI single from Sidric Grove, but the Bobcats answered immediately. Ben Aftanas worked a leadoff walk, Colby Rearick reached on a fielder's choice, and Colin Solinski put Pitt-Greensburg in front with a two-run home run to right for a 2-1 edge. Josh Preston followed with a double, though UPG could not add on.
Mt. Aloysius seized control in the third. After a hit batter and a single put two on, Cole Harkness tied the game with a sacrifice fly. Dimitri Spagnola then lined a two-run double to right center, and Coy Martino added an RBI single to cap a four-run inning that gave the visitors a 5-2 lead. The Mounties added another run in the fourth on Anthony Maseto's RBI single to make it 6-2.
Pitt-Greensburg chipped away in the sixth when William Somers doubled to left and Jonah Marks followed with an RBI double to right center, cutting the deficit to 6-3. The Bobcats also put pressure on in the seventh after Tommy Smith singled and Colin Solinski drew an intentional walk, but Mt. Aloysius escaped the inning without damage.
The game turned again in the eighth and ninth as Mt. Aloysius added insurance. Logan Quade delivered a two-run single in the eighth and Sidric Grove was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to extend the lead to 9-3. In the ninth, Lucas Edwards added a two-run single to push the margin to 11-3.
The Bobcats made one final push in the bottom of the ninth. Tommy Smith singled and scored, Preston drew a walk, Somers drove in a run with a single through the left side, Marks added another RBI single up the middle, and Neo Miller forced in a run with a walk. The rally brought Pitt-Greensburg within five before Mt. Aloysius recorded the final out.
Smith led the Bobcats with four hits in the nightcap, while Marks added four hits and two RBIs. Solinski homered and drove in two, and Somers scored twice and knocked in one.
