Salamanca, N.Y. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford baseball team opened its AMCC slate on Sunday afternoon, earning a split with the Hilbert Hawks. The Panthers were unable to hold off Hilbert in the opener, falling 5-4, but erased an early 5-run deficit in the nightcap, ultimately winning 12-7.
Game 1- The first game of the day saw Pitt-Bradford take a 4-0 lead, but a 3-run 5th, followed by a two-out, two-run double in the 7th led to a 5-4 loss.
Neither team was able to get started in the first inning as both squads saw an early hit erased when the runner was picked off at first. The Hawks also had a runner erased in the second as catcher Evan Fragela through the runner out stealing on the back end of an inning-ending double play. The junior led off the 2nd inning with a single and moved up to third on a steal and a wild pitch. He was able to open the scoring on a Hilbert error with two outs.
Starting pitcher Kyler Majka got into early trouble in the 3rd, as the first two batters reached on singles. He was able to wriggle out of the jam unscathed as he retired the next three batters in order to strand the runners on 2nd and 3rd. With the momentum on their side, the Panthers added three more runs in the bottom of the inning. Nico Hall started the rally with a single down the left field line and then moved to second on a single by Andrew Bokulich. Maxwell Rogers came up with the big hit, driving a long home run to center field to put the Panthers up 4-0. The blast was Rogers' first of the season.
Majka got out of trouble once again in the 4th. With the bases loaded and no outs, Majka induced a popup back to the mound, and then a 6-4-3 double play to keep the Hawks off the board. Unfortunately, Majka could not perform his escape act a third time, as the Hawks scored 3 runs in the 5th. The first run of the inning was scored as a flyball was lost in the sun and dropped for an RBI double, and two batters later the Hawks added a second on a sacrifice fly. The inning seemed to be over as the next batter popped up in the infield, but the Panthers dropped the popup, allowing the third run to score.
The Panthers were not able to get anything going in their at-bats in the 5th or 6th innings and Majka retired the side in order in the 6th setting up a thrilling finish in the 7th. The leadoff batter for the Hawks started the inning with a single, and then after a fly out to center, moved to second on a walk. Majka was able to get the second out of the inning with a strikeout, but could not finish the game, as the next batter lined a 2-run double into the gap to put Hilbert ahead. Majka was relieved by Jacob Sherdel after the double, who ended the inning with a groundout. The Panthers went down in order in the bottom of the 7th to end the game.
Despite a strong start, Kyler Majka (1-3) picked up the loss in the game. In 6.2 innings pitched he allowed 5 runs, 4 earned, on 11 hits. He struck out 6. Jacob Sherdel retired the only batter he faced. Maxwell Rogers had the big hit for the Panthers, hitting a three-run home run in the 3rd. He finished 1-3. Nico Hall and Andrew Bokulich each had two hits and a run scored in the game.
Game Two: After a tough loss in the opener, the Panthers fell behind early in game two, as the visitors took an early 5-0 lead. The Panthers were able to battle back, taking the lead after a 6-run 4th, which they would not relinquish, eventually winning 12-7.
Starting pitcher Shawn Mannering ran into trouble early as the Hawks took the lead before he could record an out. They used a pair of walks and a double to go ahead. They loaded the bases with a third walk in the inning, but Mannering escaped further damage as the Panthers cut down a runner at the plate and then Mannering struck out two in a row to end the frame.
The Panthers went down in order in their half of the first and saw the Hawks double their advantage in the second. A pair of one-out singles put runners on the corners and after a bunt moved the runner to second, the Hawks run scored on a wild pitch. Fragela started the 2nd with a leadoff walk but did not advance as the following three batters were retired in order.
The Panthers' situation did not improve in the top of the third, as the Hawks increased their lead to 5-0. They scored the runs on 3 hits and a pair of walks. The Panthers were able to begin their comeback in the bottom of the inning. Jake Soricone started the rally as he lined a one-out double down the left-field line. After a strikeout, Andrew Bokulich got the Panthers on the board with a single up the middle. Rogers followed the hit with a walk, and then Fragela served a single into left field to bring in Bokulich.
Mannering posted an important shutdown inning in the 4th, as after a leadoff single he induced a fly ball to left and then got an inning-ending double play. The Panthers took the momentum and added to it, exploding for 6 runs in the bottom of the inning. Kevin Rehak started the frame with an infield single and after a sacrifice bunt, moved to third on back-to-back walks. Bokulich brought in another run as he hit a grounder to 2nd base, but the Panthers were able to score two on the play, with another runner thrown out on the base paths.
With two outs, the Panthers came through adding four more runs. Rogers grounded a single through the right side to bring in Bokulich and then was able to score all the way from first as Evan Fragela tripled down the right-field line. Justin Dattoli continued the rally with a walk, and then Trent Bielak hit another ball down the right-field line to score two more.
Mannering ran into trouble in the 5th, as the first two batters of the inning singled, but he recovered and quickly got the next two batters. The inning was extended after an error in the infield, however, Mannering induced a foul popup to strand the bases loaded. In the bottom half, the Panthers tacked on another run. Soricone beat out a single with one out and then moved to third as Hall dropped a double into right field. After a pitching change, Bokulich hit a deep sac fly to left to bring in Soricone, Putting the Panthers up 9-5.
Brandon Amidon-Crawford relieved Mannering in the 6th and worked around a two-out walk to put up a 0. Bielak hit his second double of the game in the bottom of the inning but was left on second as the inning ended a batter later.
After a quiet 7th, Amidon-Crawford was able to work around an error and a walk to post his third straight scoreless frame. In the bottom half, the Panthers tacked on three more runs to push their lead to 7. The Hawks pitchers lost their control in the frame, hitting the first three batters of the inning to load the bases. Following an infield fly, Bielak came through again, hitting his 3rd two-bagger of the day, lining a hit off the wall in left-center to clear the bases.
In the 9th, Amidon-Crawford ran into trouble, allowing two runs on two hits and a pair of fielder's choice grounders. Jacob Sherdel entered the game with one out in the inning and retired both batters he faced, finishing the game on a strikeout.
Shawn Mannering (1-2) got the win, after battling through 5 innings pitched, allowing 5 earned runs. He struck out 3. Brandon Amidon-Crawford pitched 3.1 innings, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and three walks. He struck out two. Jacob Sherdel struck out one in .2 innings pitched.
Trent Bielak was the offensive star of the day, finishing 3 for 5 with 3 doubles and 5 RBIs. Jake Soricone and Evan Fragela both went 2 for 3 in the game. Fragela had a triple, 2 runs scored and 2 more driven in. Soricone hit a double and scored three times. Andrew Bokulich scored three times and brought in three more runs.
The Panthers are now 4-11 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. They are scheduled to return to action on Tuesday, March 28th, as they will take on Houghton for a pair of 7-inning games. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
