McKeesport, PA. – Coming off the momentum of a walk-off win in their series finale against Penn State Mont Alto on Sunday, the Penn State Greater Allegheny Baseball team (9-10, 4-5) looks to keep their momentum going in non-conference action when they face Bryant & Stratton College (12-11, 2-4) on Tuesday at 4 p.m. After dropping five straight in conference play, the win on Sunday set PSUGA on the right track as they push for a Penn State University Athletic Conference playoff spot.
After only scoring one run combined in the opener of the Mont Alto series on Saturday, PSUGA was able to get out to an early lead in the bottom of the third on a Dylan Ernst (McKeesport, PA./McKeesport HS) RBI double that got his team ahead 1-0. Mont Alto responded right away in the top of the fourth and things were all tied up at 1-1 after four innings. Both teams settled down in the middle innings before things heated up once again in the seventh.
After a double, an intentional walk, and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with one out a wild pitch allowed Brian Koglin (Fox Chapel, PA./Fox Chapel HS) to scamper home and get PSUGA back out in front before a flyout and a groundout ended the inning. Once again Mont Alto had an answer in the top of the eighth to tie things at 2-2 before Ernst came through with his second RBI of the game on a single that gave PSUGA a 3-2 lead heading to the ninth.
However, Mont Alto answered back again getting an RBI single and the game once again was tied up at 3-3 heading to the bottom of the ninth. After a hit by pitch, a walk, and an intentional walk loaded the bases with nobody out, Marcos Lopez (Caglas, Puerto Rico/Ramey HS) delivered hitting a walk-off single scoring Brett Yuhas (Munhall, PA./Steel Valley HS) to give PSUGA their fourth win of the season.
Ernst led the way for the offense going 3-4 with an RBI while Lopez added a 2-3 day with the game winning RBI. Jordan Williams (McKeesport, PA./McKeesport HS), who came in in relief, got the win throwing the final four innings giving up two runs on three hits while walking three and striking out four batters to pick up his third win of the season.
The win was huge for Creehan and his team as it kept them in the number three spot in the PSUAC West Division clinging on to that final playoff spot. With two more conference series remaining, PSUGA has to keep the momentum going if they want to grab one of the three playoff spots for the sixth time in the past ten seasons.
Bryant and Stratton enters Tuesday’s non-conference matchup coming off a big win of their own when they defeated Stratford University 12-11 on Sunday March 31st. After falling behind 3-0 early in the game, the Bobcats busted out for five runs in the third and scored at least one run in four of the final five innings on their way to the win. The win broke a three game losing streak for the Bobcats and got them back on track halfway through the season.
Tuesday’s game will mark the first-ever matchup between these two teams as both are looking to build off the momentum of big wins over the weekend. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Pullman Park in Butler, Pennsylvania.
