By Kyle Chandler '24

GREENVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College baseball team battled with its rivals at Thiel College on Wednesday, resulting in a split decision for the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) twin bill.

The Gators (20-10, 11-5 PAC) dropped the opener, 9-4, before taking the nightcap, 11-6, over the Tomcats (13-19, 9-7 PAC).

Thiel 9, Allegheny 4
Allegheny got off to a sluggish start. Thiel's designated hitter, Nick Jacobs, launched a two-run home run over the right field wall in the bottom of the first inning to give his club the lead.

The Tomcats would add seven unanswered runs to make it 9-0 after five innings. Walker Cunningham (Cambridge Springs, Pa./Cambridge Springs) had a tough day at the office, surrendering eight of those runs (six earned) on seven hits with four walks.

In an attempt to fight back, the Allegheny offense put together two runs in the top of the sixth inning. Brady Nolin (Cumberland, Maine/Greely) and Jonathan Sharp (Chardon, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) each registered RBIs in the frame.

With the bases loaded and two outs later in the inning, all runners were stranded, slashing the Gators' hopes of climbing back into the game. 

The Gators scored two more in the ninth off a double from Nolin, but it was too little, too late.

Allegheny 11, Thiel 6
Recuperating and firing back for the backend of the doubleheader, Allegheny jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Nolin singled in Ryan Dougherty (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) in the first frame. Tyson Bryant-Dawson (Oakland, Calif./Manvel (Texas)) slugged his fourth homer of the year over the left field wall in the fifth frame to double the lead to 2-0.

In the bottom frame, Thiel struck back for two unearned runs, gift-wrapped by the Allegheny defense on a pair of errors. It was a tense moment in the game, with the scoring knotted at 2-all. Those were the only runs starter Mark Schweickert (Glen Allen, Va./John Randolph Tucker) surrendered in his terrific performance. The righty pitched 6.0 innings, allowing only four hits and striking out three.

In the sixth, Grant Dowden (Ligonier, Pa./Ligonier Valley) knocked in Antonio Rios (Alexandria, Va./Thomas Edison) on a base hit to left field, giving Allegheny the upper hand with a 3-2 lead. 

After reclaiming the momentum, Allegheny never looked back. They busted the game open in the eighth inning, scoring six runs, highlighted by Bryant-Dawson's second big fly of the game, this time a three-run mammoth shot over the left-field fence.

Thiel earned a combined three runs in the eighth and ninth innings, but Nolin came on to pitch for the first time in his collegiate career and got the final two outs in the ninth to slam the door for the win.

Inside the Box Score - Game 1

• Allegheny was outhit by the Tomcats, 11-8.
• The Gators had one error to Thiel's two in the field.
• Nolin led the offense with two hits and three RBIs.
• Cunningham took his first loss of the season after throwing 4.2 innings, giving up eight runs (six earned) on seven hits, four walks, and three strikeouts.
• Nikolas Marino (Nashville, Tenn./Brentwood Academy), Brett McSparran (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny), and Ben Shields (Charleroi, Pa./Charleroi Area) all made appearances out of the bullpen.
• McSparran had the longest relief outing, shoving for two scoreless innings.

Inside the Box Score - Game 2

• The Gators racked up 18 hits to the Tomcats' six.
• Allegheny had five errors in the field, with Thiel registering three.
• Dawson smacked two home runs out of the yard, one solo jack, and a three-run blast.
• Nolin also had a multi-RBI performance with two.
• Nolin, Sharp, and Dowden all had three hits.
• Schweickert threw 6.0 innings, allowing two unearned runs on four hits, three walks, and four strikeouts.
• Dawson Thomas (Conneaut, Pa./Conneaut Area) threw one scoreless frame.
• Nolin recorded the final two outs in his first collegiate appearance on the mound.

News and Notes

• Allegheny improved to 20-10 overall and 11-5 against PAC opponents.
• The Gators snapped a three-game losing streak with the win in the second contest.
• With the win, Allegheny moves to 65-11 in the all-time series against Thiel.
• Matt Jennings (Birmingham, Mich./Brother Rice) extended his hit streak to 23 games after garnering knocks in both contests.
• Jennings has reached base safely in all 30 games so far this season, while Nolin is riding a 28-game on-base streak.
• Dougherty made his return to the diamond after missing significant time due to injury. The senior had a pinch-hit appearance in the first game, resulting in a walk. He tallied two base hits and an RBI in the late game.

Up Next
The Gators will head to Washington, Pennsylvania, to play the Washington and Jefferson College Presidents in a single, non-conference affair on Thursday, April 25. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.