By Kyle Chandler

MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College baseball team picked up its second Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) sweep of the week, going a perfect 4-0 after taking two games against Waynesburg University on Saturday.

The Gators (17-13, 10-4 PAC) took the opener by a final score of 3-2 and cruised past the Yellow Jackets (12-22, 8-10 PAC) in the nightcap with an 11-6 victory. Allegheny has now extended its win streak to five games, and is playing terrific baseball heading down the stretch.

In between games, a special ceremony was held for the official dedication of Robert M. Garbark Field. Garbark, a Class of 1932 alumnus, former coach, and professional ballplayer, was honored by a large group of baseball alumni and his family. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by his grandson, Jim, and received by his son, John, using one of the catcher's mitts from his time in the major leagues.

Allegheny 3, Waynesburg 2
It was a pitcher's duel in the early contest, as both starters threw 8.0 innings for a combined 262 pitches. However, Conor Deasy (Pittsburg, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) had the edge, as he surrendered just two runs (one earned) on four hits. Deasy also set a career high in strikeouts, notching 11 in the Gator win. A dominant force on the bump, the senior used his fastball and off-speed effectively to keep the Yellow Jacket hitters off balance.

Deasy picked up his second win of the season and had his best start of the 2023 campaign in his lights-out performance. Daniel Morgano (Allison Park, Pa./Vincentian Academy) shut the door in the ninth and picked up the save after coming out of the bullpen to face one batter. Morgano struck him out and sealed the win for Allegheny.

Offensively, Andrew Stablewski (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Academy) got the Gators going in the first inning after a two-out, two-RBI single to left field, which gave Allegheny an early 2-0 lead.

Anthony Maslo (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) added another run onto the board in the bottom of the fourth after hitting a sacrifice fly to give the Gators a 3-1 advantage. That was all the run support Deasy and company needed.

Allegheny 11, Waynesburg 6
The offense exploded in the backend of the twin bill, led by Brady Nolin (Cumberland, Maine/Greely), who tallied a career-high six RBIs and 11 total bases. Nolin had his first and second triples of the season and also clubbed his third home run of the year over the left-field fence in a no-doubt shot.

Waynesburg put the pressure on Allegheny early after loading the bases and scoring one in the top half of the second. Allegheny came back in the bottom of the frame and evened the score at 1-1 with an RBI groundout from Stablewski.

In the next inning, the Gators took control by adding four more runs into the score column, including a two-run mammoth blast from Nolin and a two-RBI triple from Sullivan Schueltz (Ligonier, Pa./Ligonier Valley). The team got one more in the fourth and led 6-1.

Bobby Kusinsky (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford) looked sharp, as the right-hander threw for 7.0 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on just four hits. He had two mistake pitches that allowed the Yellow Jackets to go yard, one coming in the fifth inning off a solo shot and another in the seventh for a two-run blast. Despite these minor errors, Kusinsky had the lead the whole way through and accumulated six punch outs.

Allegheny added on in the seventh and eighth innings. Nolin had a bases-clearing triple to extend the lead to 10-4. He then tacked on another run for the Gators in the next inning with an RBI single, shutting down any hope of a comeback for Waynesburg.

John Doney (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Prep) came into a difficult situation in the eighth. After the Gator bullpen allowed two runs in the inning, Doney got the call and ended the frame with a pop up to himself to limit the damage. Morgano came in the game for the ninth once more, going 1-2-3 and sealing the sweep.

Inside the Box Score - Game 1

• The Gators tallied six total hits
• Stablewski went 1-for-3 with one RBI.
• Maslo picked up his sixth RBI on the year with a sac fly in the fourth inning.
• Matt Jennings (Birmingham, Mich./Brother Rice) was 1-for-2 with a triple and one run scored.
• Deasy threw 124 pitches and went 8.0 innings, giving up two runs on four hits.
• Morgano picked up the save after striking out the last batter to end the game.

Inside the Box Score - Game 2

• The Gators outhit the Yellow Jackets 14-to-7 in the nightcap.
• Allegheny scored four runs in both the third and seventh innings.
• Nolin finished with six RBIs while hitting 4-for-5 with a home run and two triples.
• Schueltz went 1-2 with two RBIs and scored twice.
• Ryan Dougherty (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) went 3-for-4 with three runs scored.
• Kusinsky threw 7.0 innings and gave up four runs on four hits with six strikeouts.

News and Notes

• Allegheny improved to 17-13 overall and 10-4 against PAC foes.
• The Gators increased their lead in the all-time series against Waynesburg to 10-7.
• Nolin drove in a career-high six runs in the second game, the most by a Gator since Keegan Phillips had seven in a 22-2 win over Grinnell College on March 21, 2019.
• Schueltz and Tyson Bryant-Dawson (Oakland, Calif./Manvel (Texas)) each recorded their team-leading 12th multi-hit game of the season in the late contest.
• Dougherty extended his hit streak to seven consecutive games and has reached base in 15 straight, the longest on-base streak by a Gator in 2023.
• Deasy picked up the second win of his senior year with a career-high 11 strikeouts in the early bout.
• Kusinsky tied Brent Herrmann (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) for the most wins on the season with four.

Up Next 
The Gators will take on Thiel College in another conference doubleheader on Wednesday, April 26, at 12:00 p.m. Seeing lots of time at the newly-renovated Garbark Field in the past couple of weeks, Allegheny will have another chance to defend the swamp and climb the ladder in the PAC standings.