WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The fourth-seeded Allegheny College baseball team opened the 2024 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship Tournament with a 4-2 victory over No. 3 Waynesburg University on Wednesday evening at Ross Memorial Park.

Following the win, the Gators (26-13) will now face second-seeded Grove City College at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, in their second matchup of the tournament. The Wolverines (25-12) began their postseason by defeating No. 5 Westminster College on Wednesday by a 5-0 score.

The win over the Yellow Jackets (23-18) is a milestone one for Allegheny. It marks the first-ever PAC Tournament win for the Gators, as the conference did not determine a champion with a tournament during Allegheny's first stint in the PAC from 1958-84. It also represents the team's first postseason victory since the 2019 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament.

Making his first start in two weeks, junior flamethrower Mark Schweickert (Richmond, Va./John Randolph Tucker) provided head coach Brandon Crum with exactly what the Gators needed on the mound to open the busy double-elimination tournament. Schweickert blanked the Yellow Jackets over the first five innings, and after giving up two runs in the sixth, he returned to the mound with a 1-2-3 seventh. The righty worked into the eighth before giving way to Walker Cunningham (Cambridge Springs, Pa./Cambridge Springs), who induced a crucial double play to end the eighth and retired Waynesburg in order in the ninth.

The Gators were also quiet through the first five frames, but the offense came through late in support of Schweickert. In the top of the sixth, Matt Jennings (Birmingham, Mich./Brother Rice) led off with a double and scored on a grounder off the bat of Tyson Bryant-Dawson (Oakland, Calif./Manvel (Texas). With two outs, Brady Nolin (Cumberland, Maine/Greely) slugged a two-bagger to the power alley in left-center, easily scoring the speedy Bryant-Dawson from first.

Waynesburg matched Allegheny's two runs in the bottom of the sixth, but Bryant-Dawson gave the Gators the lead for good with an impressive swing in the eighth. The five-tool outfielder nearly left the yard on a 3-1 count, and although the ball stayed in play, it was more than enough to plate Jennings from first.

That swing finally chased Waynesburg starter Dalton Lucey from the contest. Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, however, the first reliever called from the bullpen hit two Gators and issued a bases-loaded walk to extend the Allegheny lead to 4-2.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny scored four runs on seven hits, which included four doubles.
• Waynesburg plated two runs on five hits and had only one extra-base knock.
• Neither team committed an error defensively.
• Schweickert picked up the win after allowing two runs (one earned) with three strikeouts in 7.1 innings of work.
• Lucey's strong start was spoiled after giving up four runs in 7.1 innings for Waynesburg.
• Jennings was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
• Nolin finished 2-for-2 with two doubles and one RBI.
• Bryant-Dawson led all Gators with two RBIs and scored twice.
• Marcos Mendez provided the only offense for Waynesburg with a two-run double in the sixth.

News and Notes

• The Gators avenged their two regular-season losses to Waynesburg by opening the postseason with a win over the Yellow Jackets.
• Allegheny has won eight of the last 10 meetings against Waynesburg, dating back to 1952.
• Wednesday's win is Allegheny's first postseason victory since defeating Wabash College, 4-1, in the second game of the 2019 NCAC Tournament.
• Schweickert's outing is his second-longest of the season on the mound.
• Cunningham earned his first save of the spring in just his second relief appearance.
• Jennings' hit streak is now at 32 games, and he's reached base safely in 40 consecutive games dating back to 2023.
• Bryant-Dawson is up to 47 RBIs in 2024, the most by a Gator since Allegheny Hall of Famer Brad Hensler '00 had 54 during his senior season.

Up Next
Allegheny will face Grove City on Thursday, May 9, at 6:00 p.m. at Washington and Jefferson College's Ross Memorial Park in Washington, Pennsylvania.