Greenville, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford baseball team took on Thiel in a road doubleheader on Sunday. The Panthers lost the opener 4-3 on a walk-off single, but then hit a pair of home runs in a 7-2 victory in the nightcap.
Game 1:
Pitt-Bradford and starting pitcher Jacob Sherdel had a rough start in the opener. After the Panthers went down quietly in the top of the first, Sherdel allowed two singles and a home run with one out in the bottom of the frame to fall behind 3-0. In the 2nd, the Panther at-bat ended quickly with a double play and a strikeout, but Sherdel found his rhythm and struck out the side in the inning.
Following a quiet third inning, the Panther offense awoke in the 4th, scoring three times to tie the game. Trent Bielak started the rally with a one-out solo home run to left field and the Blake Prestash singled to center to restart the rally. Alex Colwell and Maxwell Rogers followed with consecutive run-scoring doubles before a strikeout and a grounder ended the frame. Sherdel ran into some trouble in the bottom half, as a walk, stolen base and infield error put runners on the corners with two outs, but he escaped the jam with a fielder's choice groundout to short.
The 5th and 6th innings ended as quickly as they began, with the Panthers only putting a runner on through a Noah Avey single and the Tomcats only reaching base on an error. The Panthers could not jump into the lead in the 7th and would pay as the Tomcats put on a two-out rally. Carter Leviski replaced Sherdel to begin the inning and got two outs around an infield single. Unfortunately, he could not record the final out as the Tomcats scratched out a run on two singles and a walk to win the game.
Jake Sherdel was dominant after a rough first inning, finishing his outing with a no-decision. He pitched 6.0 innings, allowing 3 earned runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 6 batters, including a stretch of five in a row. Carter Leviski (0-1) was saddled with the loss after allowing the winning run in 2/3 of an inning pitched.
Game 2:
After the Panthers left a runner in scoring position to end the top of the 1st in Game 2, they fell behind again in the bottom of the inning. Starting pitcher Joe Long walked two batters to begin the game, and then allowed consecutive singles to fall behind 2-0. Long limited the damage, however, as he induced a 6-4-3 double play and then struck out the next batter to end the threat.
In the second, Pitt-Bradford threatened to cut into the deficit. Maxwell Rogers lined a double to right and then after a Seth Helgert walk, both runners moved into scoring position on a passed ball. They did not come around to score, however, as the inning ended on a grounder back up the middle and a strikeout. Long made quick work of the Tomvats in the bottom of the frame, striking out a pair of batters to get the offense back to the plate.
The Panthers finally struck back in the top of the third, scoring 4 times to take the lead. Aiden Zimmerman drew a leadoff walk and then moved up to third on a wild pitch. After a Trent Bielak walk, Thiel uncorked a wild pitch which allowed Zimmerman to score the first run. Blake PRestash kept the rally going as he reached on an error before Alex Colwell delivered the big blow. The junior first basemen drove a fly ball deep to left which cleared the fence for his second home run of the season. The blast brought in three runs to put the Panthers ahead 4-2. Long allowed a one-out single and a walk in the bottom of the 3rd, but stopped the hosts' rally short, inducing an inning-ending double play.
Pitt-Bradford continued to build momentum in the 4th, scoring three more times to increase their lead to 7-2. Tim Johnson led off the frame with a double down he left field line, and then scored when Zimmerman repeated the hit with a two-bagger of his own. After a Thiel pitching change, Trent Bielak welcomed the new arm rudely, crushing a line-drive home run to left to extend the Pitt-Bradford lead to 7-2. It was his 2nd long ball of the day, and 3rd of the season.
Long worked around a hit batter to post a second consecutive shutdown inning in the 4th and then retired the side in order in the 5th. Long ran into trouble in the 6th, as he walked back-to-back batters with one out in the inning. After the second free pass, he was relieved by Brayden Hageter, who quickly escaped the inning with a pair of strikeouts.
Colwell led off the 7th with a single to left, and then moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, but could not score an insurance run as the next three Panthers all popped up in the infield. Hageter returned to the hill for the bottom of the inning, and shut the door, working around a two-out single to secure the victory for Pitt-Bradford.
Joe Long (2-1) picked up the win after allowing 2 earned runs on 3 hits in 5.1 innings pitched. He struck out three. Brayden Hageter threw the final 1.2 innings, allowing just 1 hit while also picking up 3 strikeouts. Alex Colwell finished 2 for 4 with a three-run home run. Trent Bielak also hit a home run, going 1 for 3 while also scoring twice.
The split moves the Panthers to 10-6 on the season. They will finally open their home slate in their next games, as they host Alfred on Wednesday at 1 and 3:30.
