Magical Comeback Propels Baseball to Second Round of PSUAC Tournament
State College, PA- Freshman first baseman Jose Bonilla (Coto Laurel, PR/Academia Santa Maria) singled home the game's winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning to cap a comeback of mythical proportions, as the Greater Allegheny (26-14, 17-2 PSUAC) baseball team stormed back to shock Penn State Beaver 7-6 in the first round of the PSUAC Playoffs.
GA led right off the bat, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first. Sophomore designated hitter Oliver Girman (Monroeville, PA/Serra Catholic) tripled home the first run, and later scored on an infield single from Bonilla.
Sophomore right-hander Dan Laird (Munhall, PA/Steel Valley) cruised through the game's first three frames, before running into trouble as he entered the fourth. An error scored the first two Beaver runs to tie the game, allowing the fourth seed to take a 6-2 following four more runs between the fifth and sixth.
Nearly beaten and on the ropes, freshman outfielder Alente Johnson (Rochester, PA/Rochester) lit the spark for GA by leading off the seventh with a single. Fellow outfielder, sophomore Zach Zeroski (Imperial, PA/West Allegheny), followed with a single of his own, with both runners advancing when senior outfielder Mike Visloski (McDonald, PA/West Allegheny) was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat.
Following a pitching change, Girman drilled a two-run single through the left side, cutting the lead to just 6-4. An error reloaded the bases, which allowed the walk to junior Sam Weightman (Harrison City, PA/Penn-Trafford) to score another run. An infield fly produced the inning's second out, but a wild pitch brought home Greater Allegheny's sixth run, completing the comeback.
Girman pitched a one-two-three top of the eighth, setting up Bonilla's heroics in the home half of the inning. Visloski reached on a walk, and then advanced all the way to third on an errant pick-off attempt by the Beaver pitcher. Girman was intentionally walked, and with the infield drawn in, Bonilla belted his game-winning single right up the middle.
Zeroski and Bonilla both finished the game with three hits in five trips to the plate, while Johnson and Girman tallied two hits apiece. Bonilla also had three RBI's, with Girman totalling two. Girman (1-1) earned the win as well, pitching two perfect innings with four strikeouts.
The top-seeded Lions will now meet second-seeded Penn College tomorrow afternoon at 3 PM. GA split a pair of games with the Wildcats earlier this season.