Johnstown, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford baseball team was back in action at the AMCC Baseball Championship Tournament on Friday, taking on the #1 seed Penn State-Behrend with a chance to secure their place in the championship game. The Panthers fell behind early, but made a furious comeback, cutting a 10-run deficit down to 1. Unfortunately, they ran out of outs and lost the game 15-14.
Pitt-Bradford's offense threatened in the first as Aiden Zimmerman drew a walk and Maxwell Rogers singled up the middle, but a pickoff and two strikeouts brought the frame to an end. Starting pitcher Collin Porter did not fare as well in the bottom half. Porter started the inning with a fly ball, but then allowed a single and two free passes to load the bases. A ground-rule double brought in two, and then an RBI groundout put the Lions up 3 after one.
The Panthers loaded the bases in the 2nd, as Blake Prestash, Alex Ognen, and Tim Johnson all reached on free passes, but a lineout and a pop-up brought the inning to an end. Penn State-Behrend tacked on four more runs in the bottom half. The Lions loaded the bases with two singles around a walk and then added to their lead on an error in the infield, a two-run single, and a sacrifice fly to right.
Rogers got Pitt-Bradford on the board in the 3rd. He started the inning with a leadoff triple to right center and then scored Pitt-Bradford's first run on a Trent Bielak sacrifice fly. Maddox Stadler replaced Porter to begin the 3rd, and found immediate trouble with a leadoff single, followed by a double. A wild pitch cancelled out the Pitt-Bradford run from the top of the inning, before a three-run home run pushed the Penn State-Behrend lead to 10. Stadler settled down after the long ball and got out of the inning with a grounder to third and a double play.
Pitt-Bradford started to turn the momentum in the 4th, cutting into the lead with 3 runs in the frame. Kenny Nickson III started the rally with a walk, and then, after a Noah Avey single, Alex Ognen doubled in a run. Johnson brought in with a single to right center, and then got in a rundown off of a pickoff throw, which allowed Ognen to score from third. Stadler nearly posted a shutdown inning in the bottom of the frame, but allowed a two-out double to left center to put the deficit at 12-4 through 4 innings of play.
The Panthers were not able to add to their total in the next two innings, but in the 6th, the Lions chased Stadler as they started the inning with a single and a double. He was replaced by Carter Leviski, who allowed both inherited runners to score on a sacrifice fly and a single to left. HE limited further damage with a lineout to left and a fly ball to right.
Trailing by 10, the Panthers made their big move in the 7th, scoring 7 runs to quickly cut the lead to 14-11. Following a strikeout to begin the frame, Blake Prestash started the rally by blasting a long fly ball over the wall in left. The solo shot was his 5th of the year. The rally continued when Nickson was hit by a pitch, and then Noah Avey doubled to the gap, putting runners on second and third. A balk forced in a run before Alex Ognen recorded the second out on a fly ball to right.
Despite the 2nd out, the Panther rally was not finished. Tim Johnson came up to the plate next and hit a towering fly ball over the high netting in left for a two-run home run. The longball was his first as a Panther. Aiden Zimmerman continued the rally with a single, forcing a Lion pitching change. After the change, Rogers drew a walk before Bielak crushed a 2-1 pitch deep over the wall in left-center for a 3-run homer. The blast was his 7th of the season and cut the Penn State-Behrend lead to 3.
Garrett Smith entered the game in the bottom of the 7th, and despite hitting the first batter he faced, posted a shutdown inning by retiring the next three batters. In the 8th, all three Panthers to come to the plate went down on strikes, and the Lions tacked on what would be an important run in the bottom half. Smith hit the first batter he faced and then, after a groundout moved the runner into scoring position, a single to center drove him in to extend the Penn State-Behrend lead to 4. Brayden Hageter replaced Smith after the single and induced a pair of pop-ups to end the frame.
Heading into the 9th, the Panthes needed 4 runs to extend the fame, and got off to a good start when Ognen hit a home run off the light pole in left center. The home run was his 2nd of the season. After a strikeout, Zimmerman singled up the middle and then moved to second on a groundout. With two down, Bielak came to the plate and delivered once again. The junior outfielder crushed a breaking ball to dead center, clearing the wall 409 feet from the plate for his second home run of the game, cutting the deficit to one. The blast brought his season total to 8. Unfortunately for the Panthers, the rally would come to an end a batter later, as Colwell pushed the count full, but went down looking to end the game.
Collin Porter received the loss after allowing 7 runs, 6 earned, in 2 innings pitched. Maddox Stadler allowed 7 runs in 3 innings while striking out 2. Carter Leviski pitched a scoreless inning, while Garrett Smith allowed 1 run in 1.1 innings pitched with a strikeout. Brayden Hageter retired both batters he faced. Offensively, the Panthers exploded after a slow start, tallying 14 hits, including 5 home runs and 8 extra base hits. Trent Bielak was the star of the game, going 2 for 5 with a pair of home runs and 6 runs batted in. Tim Johnson was to for 4 with a home run and 3 RBI. Alex Ognen also finished 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Aiden Zimmerman, Maxwell Rogers, and Noah Avey all tallied 2 hits and scored two runs. Blake Prestash hit a solo home run.
Pitt-Bradford falls to 16-17 on the season and drops into the elimination bracket. They will take on the winner of Alfred State and Pitt-Greensburg for a chance to earn a spot in the championship series.
