GREENVILLE, Pa. (March 2) -- The Thiel College Baseball team fell 16-7 in a non-conference clash with Pitt Greensburg Monday afternoon from Tomcat Park.
The Tomcats fall to 0-3 on the young season while the Bobcats (1-1) snap a 15-game series losing streak with the Cats.
Thiel jumped to an early 1-0 lead as
Colton Brightwell (Eighty Four, Pa./Bentworth) manufactured a run with a steal of home as Kolton Kruszewski was attempting to steal second in the in the second inning. The Tomcats added 2 more in the third on a
Calvin Cackowski (Wickliffe, Ohio/Wickliffe) bases-loaded walk and a
Nick Square (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) RBI single.
Brightwell finished 1-for-3 with 2 runs, two RBIs and a walk. Cackowski drew a pair of walks and had a hit and RBI each while Square was 1-for-3 with a RBI. Kruszewski added a hit.
The visitors tacked on 2 each in fourth and fifth to pull ahead 4-3. Thiel responded in the bottom of the fifth as Brightwell brought home 2 with a run-scoring single to make it 5-4. An
Andrew McRoberts (Cortland, Ohio/Lakeview) bases-loaded walk followed by a
Justin Dubee (Gibsonia, Pa./Hampton) RBI infield single pulled Thiel ahead 7-4.
McRoberts was 1-for-2 with a run and RBI each along with two walks. Dubee finished 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk in his first collegiate action.
The wheels fell off the wagon in the seventh as the Bobcats put a 9-spot on the board to climb ahead 13-7. The visitors tacked on 2 more in the eighth to spell the 16-7 final.
Joey Schimizzi (Willowick, Ohio/Willoughby South) and
Max Bihler (Delaware, Ohio/Olentangy Berlin) each smacked a pair of hits, with Bihler logging a triple.
Hewitt Wilt (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) got the start for Thiel and worked 2.1 innings of scoreless ball with two strikeouts.
JT Gerle (Ambridge, Pa./Ambridge) made his collegiate pitching debut with 1.2 innings and two strikeouts.
Brock Matthews (West Sunbury, Pa./Moniteau) suffered the loss in his one inning of work.
Thiel opens its spring break slate of contests Saturday with a 10 a.m. clash against Lebanon Valley.
