GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Thiel College baseball team swept the Mount Aloysius Mounties in a non-conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Tomcat Park.
The Tomcats took the first game in walk-off fashion, winning 7-4 over the Mounties in 11 innings.
Both teams scored in the first inning. Josh Doody tied the game at one after plating Matt Elko on a RBI double to left field. The Tomcats added runs via RBI singles to right field by Elko in the second inning and Doody in the fifth inning.
The Mounties tied up the game at three in the sixth when Benjamin Legath scored on a wild pitch and Dylan Oswalt scored on a fielder's choice. The Mounties then took the lead in the top of the ninth when Legath singled to left field that scored Ian Helsel from second base.
The Tomcats extended the game in the bottom of the ninth when Elko scored Bryan Mitchell from second base on a RBI single up the middle.
In the bottom of the 11th inning, Mitchell started off the inning with a single up the middle. Elko moved Mitchell to second base on a sacrifice bunt. Dan Koller was intentionally walked to bring up Trent Smith. Smith took the first pitch he saw from Mount Aloysius' Brady Wright over the right field fence for a three-run walk-off homer.
Riley Schwertz picked up his second win of the season after pitching the top of the 11th inning. Elko recorded a no-decision after pitching 5.2 innings, striking out seven Mounties while only allowing two hits and two earned runs. Tanner Teconchuk pitched 4.1 innings in relief, sitting down five batters on strikes and only allowing one earned run.
A four-run fourth inning and a three-run fifth inning propelled the Tomcats to the 7-3 victory in the second game.
After the Mounties struck first with two runs in the top of the fourth, the Tomcats retaliated with four runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning. When the Tomcats loaded the bases with no outs, Shiloh Turner brought two of the runners home on a single to right field. Two batters later, Zach Hudecek scored from third base on a wild pitch. Elko drove Jonathan Oden home on a RBI single to right field for the fourth run of the fourth inning.
The Mounties got a run back in the fifth but the Tomcats responded with three runs in the fifth inning. Hudecek knocked a single to left field that scored Brian Genco. Sam Passafiume came home on a wild pitch during a Turner walk. Hudecek came home on a RBI groundout to the shortstop by Oden.
Kevin Forrester earned his third win of the season in the second game. Forrester struck out six batters while only allowing six hits, three earned runs and one walk in six quality innings. Jaden Nozicka came in the seventh inning to close out the game.
The Tomcats (10-3) will return to action on Monday, March 28 when they host the Allegheny Gators. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. from Tomcat Park.