Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford baseball team played their first home games of the season on Friday as they welcomed Penn State-Behrend to Repchick Family Field at the Kessel Athletic Complex. The Panthers could not keep up with the Lions in either contest, dropping the opener 4-2 and the nightcap 12-5.
Game 1:
The Panther offense struggled to get started in game one and after falling behind lost a pitcher's duel 4-2.
Jacob Sherdel started on the mound for the Panthers and made quick work of the Lions in the first. Despite an error to open the game, Sherdel set the side down in order as he picked the runner off at first to end the inning. Pitt-Bradford threatened to score in the bottom of the frame with a two-out rally. Trent Bielak drew a walk and then moved to third when Blake Prestash grounded a single down the third base line. Unfortunately, the Panthers could not bring him in as the inning ended a batter later.
The Lions rallied for two runs in the 2nd, using three two-out singles to take a 2-0 lead. Sherdel allowed a leadoff hit but then retired the next two batters while the runner moved to third. He then was not able to get the third out, allowing three singles into shallow center which brought in the pair of runs. Pitt-Bradford came right back in the bottom half, scoring once to cut the deficit in half. Kenny Nickson III was hit by a pitch with one out, and then after a pop-up, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Alex Ognen singled through the right side of the infield with two outs, bringing Nickson around to score.
Sherdel posted a shutdown inning in the 3rd, setting the Lions down in order, but then gave up two runs in the 4th. After a one-out double, Sherdel induced a fly ball to deep right that Bielak could not hold onto, allowing the first run to score. A batter later, Sherdel allowed a single to center which brought in the second run.
Pitt-Bradford put runners on in the 4th and 5th innings, but could not bring them in. In the 6th, Sherdel retired the lead-off batter but was relieved after allowing a double to left center. He was replaced by Brayden Hageter, who stranded the inherited runner on 2nd with a fly ball and a strikeout. In the bottom half, Pitt-Bradford looked to rally, loading the bases before an out could be recorded. Blake Prestash started the inning and went down swinging, but chased the third strike in the dirt and was able to reach on a wild pitch. This was followed by an Alex Colwell walk and Max Rogers reaching after being hit by a pitch. Nickson could not come up with the hit, however, and grounded into a double play. Prestash scored on the play. The inning ended a batter later on a groundout.
Hageter allowed a leadoff single in the 7th but worked around it to post a 0 and send the Panthers back to the plate with a two-run deficit. Alex Ognen led off the frame with a walk but never advanced as the next three Panthers were set down on two strikeouts and a fly ball to center, ending the game.
Jacob Sherdel (1-2) picked up the loss after allowing 4 runs, 3 earned, on 7 hits. He struck out 1. Brayden Hageter threw the final 1.2 innings, allowing just 1 hit with 1 strikeout. Offensively, the Panthers finished with 4 hits. Alex Ognen had the only RBI on a single, while Blake PRestsh and Kenny Nickson both scored runs in the loss.
Game 2:
Pitt-Bradford responded to an early deficit in game two, taking a short-lived lead in the 2nd inning. Unfortunately, an overturned call at first led to a big inning for the Lions and the Panthers never recovered, eventually falling 12-5.
In the first, starter Collin Porter induced two ground balls around a double, but was not able to get out of the frame unscathed as the Lions scored on a double to left and a throwing error. Pitt-Bradford got one of the runs back immediately, rallying with two outs to cut the lead in half. Trent Bielak hit a sinking line drive to right that was missed on a diving effort, allowing Bielak to move to third for a triple. Blake Prestash followed with a line drive single to right center to bring in Bielak. The Panthers looked to tie the game as Alex Colwell hit a hard-line drive to dead center, but the Lion outfielder made a leaping catch over his shoulder to end the frame.
Despite allowing a pair of two-out free passes around a double in the 2nd, Porter posted a shutdown inning with a fly ball to end the threat. In the bottom half, the Panthers used a pair of Lion errors to take the lead. Noah Avey led off and reached on a throwing error in the infield, and then moved to third when Maxwell Rogers grounded a single up the middle. Logan McConnell brought in Avey with a sacrifice fly to right, and then MRogers replaced Avey on third as an errant pick-off throw allowed him to take two free bases. Alex Ognen followed with a single through the left side of the infield to give the Panthers their first lead of the day.
The advantage did not last long for the Panthers, as the Lions started the next frame with a double and a bunt single. The Panthers traded two outs for a run, turning a 4-6-3 double-play before controversy struck. The next batter hit a ground ball to shortstop which was fielded and thrown across the diamond. The Colwell seemed to stretch for the throw and stay on the bag as the runner was called out and the teams began to swap, but a conference between the umpires resulted in the call being overturned and continued the frame. The Panthers could not respond to the call, and quickly fell behind. Porter immediately gave up a run-scoring double and then walked the next three batters to force in another run. He was replaced by Joe Long who gave up a two-run single and a walk before ending the inning with a flyout. The Lions made quick work of the Panthers in the bottom half, striking out two batters before ending the inning in order with a groundout.
Long posted a 1-2-3 inning of his own in the 4th and the Panthers seemed to change the momentum in the bottom of the inning when Avey singled to left and Rogers reached on a throwing error to start the inning. The Panther threat did not result in any runs, however, as a sacrifice bunt attempt resulted in a fielder's choice to third back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat as quickly as it began.
After a quiet 5th, the Lions rallied again in the 6th, posting a second 5-run inning to extend their lead to 12-3. Long loaded the bases with two singles and a walk with one out before allowing a two-run single to left. He was then replaced by Ethan Zimmerman who was created with another RBI single and a sacrifice fly. After a stolen base and a walk, Zimmerman allowed another run-scoring single, but the Panthers ended the inning without a 6th run as they threw out the runner trying to score after a rundown.
Zimmerman kept the Lions off the board in the 7th and then the Panthers pulled a run back in the bottom of the frame. With two outs, Aiden Zimmerman dropped a double into right-center and then scored when Bielak hit a single to right. Ethan Zimmerman made quick work of the Lions in the 8th, and Pitt-Bradford continued to build momentum late, scoring another run in the inning. Colwell drew a leadoff walk and then with two outs took second on a wild pitch. McConnell came through with another run-scoring at bat, hitting a single to center to drive in Colwell.
Maddox Stadler replaced Zimmerman to start the 9th and used a 1-6-3 double play to work around a fielding error and a walk to post a scoreless inning. In the bottom half, the first two Panthers were retired quickly before Bielak reached on an error to extend the game. The contest would not last much longer as PRestash went down on strikes in the next at-bat.
Collin Porter (2-2) picked up the loss after allowing 7 runs, 2 earned, on 6 hits and 4 walks in 2.2 innings pitched. Joe Long and Ethan Zimmerman each threw 2.2 innings as well. Long allowed 4 earned, while Zimmerman gave up 1 earned. Both struck out one batter. Maddox Stadler pitched a scoreless 9th with one walk. Trent Bielak led the Panther offense, as he finished 2 for 5 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored. Logan McConnell went 1 for 3 in the game with a pair of runs batted in.
The losses drop Pitt-Bradford to 10-10 with a 0-4 record in AMCC Play. They are scheduled to return to action on Sunday when they head to Penn State-DuBois for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Showers Field.
