Johnstown, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford continued their strong start at the AMCC Baseball Championship Tournament on Thursday, defeating Alfred State 6-2 to remain in the Winner's Bracket.
The Panthers used a strong pitching performance from starter Jacon Sherdel as he limited the Pioneers to 2 runs in 8+ innings pitched. The Panthers Tied the game in the 5th and scored 5 times in the last two frames to secure the win.
The game started slowly as both teams were set down in order in the first. The Panthers threatened to go ahead in the 2nd as Kenny Nickson III and Logan McConnell were hit by pitches with two down, but Pitt-Bradford could not find the final hit to drive them in. In the bottom half, the Pioneers struck first. With one out, they put two runners in scoring position with an infield single and a double to left. They brought in one run with a safety squeeze bunt before Sherdel ended the inning with a strikeout.
Sherdel locked down after the run scored, retiring six straight in the 3rd and 4th. Pitt-Bradford tied the game in the 5th. Leading off the frame, McConnell was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game and then moved into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. After Tim Johnson was also hit by a pitch, the Pioneers looked to end the inning by throwing behind him, leading off first. The throw was off the mark and rolled the ball down the right field line, which allowed McConnell to score. Sherdel gave up a double to start the bottom half, but cut down the runner at the plate and struck out another batter to post the shutdown inning.
In the 8th, Pitt-Bradford rallied to take its first lead of the game. Maxwell Rogers started the rally by driving a double down the left field line, and then moved up to third when Trent Bielak singled to center. Alex Colwell followed and put the Panthers in front with a line-drive single into right field. Sherdel made quick work of the Pioneers in the bottom half, retiring the side on 12 pitches.
The Panthers headed into the 9th inning looking to tack on insurance runs, and did so with a huge two-out rally. Johnson kicked off the rally by beating out an infield single. He scored a batter later as Aiden Zimmerman drove his second two-bagger of the game off the wall in left. Following a pitching change, Rogers grounded a single back up the middle to drive in Zimmerman and push the lead to 3. Bielak continued the inning with a line-drive double off the netting in left before Colwell also found the short wall in left for a two-run double.
Armed with a 5-run cushion, Sherdel returned to the mound for the bottom of the 9th, but after a leadoff single was replaced by Joe Long. Long uncorked a pair of wild pitches to move the runner to third, but got two outs with a strikeout and a pop-up. Alfred State stayed alive with an RBI single and a walk, but Long induced one final fly ball to center to secure the win.
Jacob Sherdel (3-4) had a magnificent outing for the Panthers, pitching 8+ innings while allowing 2 earned runs on 5 hits with no free passes. He struck out 10 batters. Joe Long pitched the final inning, allowing one hit while striking out one. Alex Colwell was the main run producer for the Panthers, as he finished 2 for 4 with 3 RBI. The top three batters in the Pitt-Bradford lineup all finished 2-5 in the win. Aiden Zimmerman had a pair of doubles with a run scored and an RBI, while Maxwell Rogers had one double, scored twice, and drove in another. Bielak had a single and a double and scored a run.
The victory moves the Panthers' record to 16-16 on the season and places them in the winner's bracket final. They will take on top seeded Penn State-Behrend to begin day three, where another victory will put them in the tournament final. First pitch is slated for noon.
