Baseball Stumbles Late, Falls 8-3

Vero Beach, FL- Despite seven strong innings from Freshman pitcher Matt Klena (Shaler), the Greater Allegheny baseball team could not hold its lead late, eventually falling 8-3 to Miami-Hamilton.

  Sophomore center fielder Zak Schmidt (Moon) led off the GA half of the first with a double down the left field line.  Junior right fielder Mike Visloski (West Allegheny) then followed with a single to right, pushing Schmidt over to third.  A wild pitch would then score Schmidt, and advanced Visloski to second.  Sophomore first baseman Adam Wehr (Northwestern) came up next, and reached on an error- which allowed Visloski to score all the way from second.

  Miami-Hamilton would battle back to tie the game at 2-2 through the second and third innings, led by a second inning solo shot to right, off Klena.  GA would quickly regain the lead in the fourth, when Freshman infielder Aaron McGee (Penn Trafford) led off the inning with a single and eventually came around to score on a throwing error. 

  After three scoreless innings, Miami-Hamilton came in the 8th and scored two runs to jump in front, 4-3.  Then in their half of the 9th, Miami-Hamilton would blow the game open.  They used 4 hits to tack on 4 more runs, and went on to win 8-3.

  Making his first collegiate start, Matt Klena threw 7 strong innings, striking out 3 hitters, while giving up 3 runs on 5 hits.  Aaron McGee (1-1) would come on in relief of Klena, and eventually allowed the winning run to cross, thus saddling him with the loss.  At the plate for GA, Zak Schmidt and Mike Visloski led the offense, both going 1-4 with a run and a walk. 

  With the loss, the Greater Allegheny baseball team has now lost two straight, and falls to 2-4 on the year.  They will return to the diamond Thursday, March 8 to take on Sauk Valley College at 12 PM, and then Gatineau Quebec at 4 PM.