Johnstown, PA – The Alfred State baseball team took two wins on the day to advance to the AMCC championship as they beat the Bobcats (7-5) and the Panthers (6-4).
Game 1 (7-5)
Nathan Lucks led the way on the mound as he notched the win pitching for six innings. Lucks allowed just three runs on 10 hits.
Mason Williams got the save on the day as he retired two batters and did not allow any runs. At the plate,
Zach Young racked up four total RBIs while hitting 2-4. And
Jordan Hughes hit 2-4 while tallying two RBIs.
Getting into the action, the battling fully began in the third inning. At the top of the inning, the Bobcats struck first as they got out to a 2-0 lead. However, the Pioneers answered back in the bottom half.
After
Elijah Barinas singled to reach first base, Young leveled the score when he hit a jack towards left center for a double RBI, 2-2. The Pioneers then took the advantage when Hughes followed
Tyler Korsky's single with another homer to left center.
Alfred continued to ride the wave of momentum they had as they racked up two more runs in the bottom of the fourth. After two consecutive singles from Snyder and
Connor Kiefer, Young notched a double RBI single to left center for a 6-4 lead.
The bobcats were able to find themselves a run in the fifth inning. In the seventh, they also tacked on two more. In the bottom of the frame, Pios scored a run to cut into their momentum. Korsky reached first after being hit by a pitch. Korsky later scored off a balk to bring the margin to 7-5.
The Bobcats spent the last three innings trying to narrow the gap, but Alfred was able to keep them way, taking the game 7-5.
Game 2 (6-4)
In game two, Hughes prevailed on the mound while pitching for six innings. He tallied three strikeouts and allowed just two runs.
Mason Williams notched the save as he pitched for three innings without allowing a single strikeout. Kiefer and Barinas each tallied two RBIs and a double while they hit 2-4 and 1-4 respectively.
The Panthers broke open first as they scored a run in the top of the third inning. In the bottom of the frame,
Devin Mersmann led off and was hit by a pitch. After he stole second and
Anthony Snyder struck out, Kiefer notched an RBI single through the left side to answer back and level the playing field for Alfred. Barinas batted afterwards where he flew out to the center fielder. With two outs on the board, Pios gained a two-run margin when Young stepped up to bat and smacked a homer towards left field for the double RBI, 3-1.
Alfred then went on to score another run in the next inning. Mersmann tallied a double down the right field line to put himself on base. Two batters later, Kiefer hit his own double to advance Mersmann home.
The fifth inning was quiet for both sides, but the Panthers found a run in the sixth. Pios responded with two more runs in the bottom half of the inning. Walker smacked a double up towards center field to put runners on base. Mersmann followed with an RBI single. After Mersmann stole second off a failed pickoff attempt, Snyder singled to left field making it a 6-2 ball game.
The Panthers put up two more runs in the seventh but couldn't swing the momentum their way as they remained scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings. Pios held them off as they prevailed to win the game, 6-4.
The Pioneers will face off against Penn State Behrend in the championship. The matchup is scheduled to begin on Saturday, May 10th at 1pm.
