MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – With a win in their season opener yesterday afternoon, the Allegheny baseball team swept their doubleheader against Wilkes University, 9-4, and Penn State-Berks, 11-6, on Saturday afternoon, day two of the 2011 Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Senior pitcher David Strawser took the ball for the early game against Wilkes. An All-NCAC Second Team selection last season, Strawser was in command in his first start of the year pitching seven complete innings, walking one, scattering four hits, and striking out six.
After scoring two runs over the first three innings, the Gators threw up a crooked number in the run column twice in the middle innings against Wilkes, scoring three in the third, and four in the sixth. Four Gators had multi-hits games. Mike Pereslucha went 2-for-4 with a triple and scored twice. Matt Stahl went 2-for-5 with an RBI and scored twicw. Aaron Lynch was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI. Rookie Kyle Davis also went 2-for-4 in the game, scored twice, drew a walk, and collected a double.
Game two against Penn State-Berks, later in the afternoon, was much of the same for the Gators, who got a great starting performance, this time from Davis, and got solid contributions from several hitters in the lineup. In his collegiate debut on the bump, Davis tossed seven complete innings of two hit, two run baseball, while striking out eight batters. In support of himself, Davis went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Sophomore Eric Hansen closed out the final two innings of the game without surrendering a run and striking out one batter for his first save of the season.
Pereslucha continued his hot bat from game one into game two as he went 3-for-3 with a triple, and four RBI. Hansen, who closed out the game on the mound, also had an impact with his bat going 3-for-5 with a couple of runs scored, and a RBI. Lynch picked up another two hits in game two as well. Sophomore Phil Morrissette added a two-RBI double.
The Gators take to the diamond again on Sunday against Catholic University at 10:00 a.m. for their final game in Myrtle Beach, S.C.