BUFFALO, N.Y. - The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford baseball team (7-13, 2-4) split an AMCC doubleheader at Medaille (7-13, 2-4) on Thursday afternoon in Buffalo, N.Y.
The Panthers dropped a 7-6 heartbreaker in the opener and then cruised to a 9-1 victory in the nightcap.
"Game one was a tough loss. We were really one pitch away from a sweep. We are that close," said Pitt-Bradford assistant coach Zach Foster. "In the second game we showed what happens when we can put it all together."
Dalton Renn had another outstanding day at the plate, leading the Pitt-Bradford offense to a victory in game two, going 3-4 with two home runs and six RBI. Jean Turber followed, going 3-5 with two doubles and an RBI while Tim Brown added two hits and drove in one run. Sawyer Packard and Jay Clinger rounded out the Pitt-Bradford offense with two hits each in the game two victory.
Justin Beimel was dominant on the mound, allowing just one run on seven hits while striking out five in a complete game effort to improve to 2-3 on the year.
"Dalton is seeing the ball well and is really coming into his own with his approach at the plate and it shows," Foster said. "Also, Beimel was huge for us today on the mound. He saved our pen and threw and exceptional start. He battled through the final three innings after getting hit by a line drive. If we are running on all cylinders we are a tough team to beat."
Renn wasted no time giving the Panthers the early lead with a three-run blast in the top of the first, giving Pitt-Bradford a 3-0 lead after one.
In his very next at bat, Renn destroyed a two-run homer while Turber followed with a double to extend the Panther's lead to 6-0 after three.
Medaille scored its only run of the game on a TJ Serba RBI single in the fifth, tightening the Pitt-Bradford lead to 5-1 heading into the sixth.
The Panthers put the game out of reach with one run in the seventh, another in the eighth and one more in the ninth. Brown drove in Renn in the seventh while Renn drove in Cliger in the eighth and Turber scored the final run of the game on a wild pitch to cap the 9-1 victory.
Renn, Brown and Packard led the Panther's offense in the opener with two hits each while Kevin Sompel added one hit in the loss. Matt Hogue got the start on the mound, allowing three earned runs on five hits while striking out two and walking four in four innings of work. Ryan Northcott was hit with the loss, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out four in 2.2 innings.
Despite dropping the opener, the Panthers did jump out to an early 1-0 lead. Brock Blovsky stole third and then scored on a throwing error in the top of the first.
However, Medaille struck right back with three runs in the home half of the first on a Kris Kruszka RBI double and Dan Lumadue RBI single.
Packard brought the Panthers within 3-2 with an RBI single in the second. But, the Mavericks got one right back in the home half of the third to extend their lead to 4-2 after three.
The Panthers tied it up with two runs in the top of the fifth. Renn started the rally with an RBI single while Clinger scored on a throwing error later in the inning to make it a 4-4 ballgame.
Pitt-Bradford added two more in the top of the seventh to take the lead. Brown brought home the first run with an RBI single and then scored on a passed ball to give the Panthers a 6-4 lead heading into the home half of the seventh.
The Mavericks then scored three in the home half to walk-off winners in the opener. Daniel Luppens brought home the first run of the inning with an RBI double while Jared McStine won the game with a two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
The Panthers continue AMCC play with a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Pitt-Greensburg. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
