BETHANY, W.Va. – The Thiel College baseball team split a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader on the road against the Bethany Bison on Friday.
Bethany won game one 5-4, before Thiel took game two 19-6 for the split.
Game 1
Thiel took an early lead in the second inning from
Chase Morrison (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley), before adding three more runs in the fourth inning. First,
Colton Brightwell (Eighty Four, Pa./Bentworth) singled to third base, driving in
Nick Jacobs (New Castle, Pa./Union). Then, Brightwell stole second base, causing a throwing error from Bethany's Izek Baldwin, allowing Morrison to score.
Andrew McRoberts (Cortland, Ohio/Lakeview) earned his first collegiate RBI, driving in Brightwell.
However, Bethany's response was quick, tying up the game 4-4 in the fifth inning, before Riley Brendel walked it off for the Bison with an RBI single up the middle.
Thiel was led by Morrison, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Mike Sittig (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley) and
Nathen Prunty (Elyria, Ohio/Keystone) each recorded two hits, while
Nick Jacobs (New Castle, Pa./Union) went 2-for-4. McRoberts had an RBI and a walk.
Bethany was led by Derek Black who went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk. Josh Speaker went 1-for-5 with two RBIs.
Alec Katon (Ashtabula, Ohio/Edgewood) got the start for the Tomcats, going five innings and striking out 10. He also issued four walks.
Brady Rzodkiewicz (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) went the other 3 1/3 innings, striking out three, and surrendering the game-winning run.
For Bethany, Trey Mantle got the start, going 6 1/3 innings with two walks and two strikeouts. JT Hubert went the remaining 2 2/3 innings, striking out three and only allowing one hit.
Game 2
The Tomcats wasted no time getting on the board, going up 4-0 in the first inning.
Chase Morrison (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley) hit a two-out, three RBI double to left center-field that scored Prunty, Jacobs and Sittig.
Bethany got on the board in the bottom half of the inning, cutting the Tomcat lead to 4-1. Thiel added three more runs in the second inning to blow the game open.
A four-run third, three-run fourth, three-run sixth and two-run seventh gave the Tomcats all the runs they would need.
Thiel was led by Prunty who went 6-for-6 with two RBIs.
Nick Jacobs (New Castle, Pa./Union) went 3-for-3 with five RBIs, while Morrison went 4-for-6 with 5 RBIs.
Andrew McRoberts (Cortland, Ohio/Lakeview) earned his first collegiate hit, going 1-for-3 2ith two walks.
Mike Sittig (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley) went 2-for-4, including a two-run homer in the fourth inning, extending his hitting streak to 13 games.
Bethany was led by Grant Schaffner who went 1-for-2 with three RBIs, including a two-run homerun in the third inning. Payton Zupko went 1-for-2 with a homerun, and Josh Speaker went 2-for-4.
Nate Lucas (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) earned the win for the Tomcats, going five innings with five strikeouts and only one walk.
Garrison Martin (Beloit, Ohio/West Branch) went two innings, striking out four and not allowing a hit.
Payton Hildebrand started for Bethany, going one inning with three walks and allowing four runs. Logan Bennett allowed seven runs.
The Tomcats will return to action on Monday when they travel to John Carroll for a non-conference game. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
