Eagles Drop Pair of Extra-Inning Bouts to Greyhounds
HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata baseball team saw a pair of comebacks thwarted by Moravian in extra inning defeats as they lost game one 8-7 in 11 innings and game two 15-14 in ten innings.
Dakotah Snyder (3-for-5, 1 BB, 1 R), Michael Warren (3-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R), Joey Allegrini (3-for-5, 1 BB, 1 R), and David Beard (1-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB) all had multiple hits in game one, while Evan Mock also had a strong game with his lone hit scoring a pair of runs on a double.
Chase Alessandroni escaped a few jams in his four-inning start, where he gave up just one run on a solo home run despite seven hits with three strikeouts.
Alessandroni escaped the first inning with runners on the corners before drawing a fielder's choice out at second to end the first. He returned to the mound in the second, giving up a one-out solo home run and then giving up just a single before getting out of the frame.
The Greyhounds earned just a single in the third inning, while Juniata loaded the bases on three walks in the bottom half of the inning before the Greyhounds starter generated a ground ball to second base for a successful double play.
Moravian opened the fourth with back-to-back singles, but Alessandroni regained composure with a dribbler fielded by catcher Joey Woodrow followed by back-to-back swinging strikeouts to end his service.
Moravian added one run to their lead in the fifth inning for a 2-0 advantage. They executed back-to-back one-out singles and got both runners in scoring position with a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly to right scored one runner, while Ethan Pfeffer drew a flyout on the next batter. Juniata went down in order in the fifth, then Pfeffer returned in the sixth, only giving up a one-out double.
After generating two hits and five baserunners through the first five innings, the Eagles opened the scoring column with a run in the bottom of the sixth to get back within one. Back-to-back two-out doubles from Warren and Jackson Cunnane got Juniata on the board.
Moravian struck for two runs in the seventh inning for a 4-1 lead on a single, hit-by-pitch, double, and sacrifice fly sequence. Juniata returned in the seventh with three runs for a level scoreline for the first time since the third inning. Allegrini singled with one out; then Beard scored him from second with two outs following a wild pitch. A single from Snyder and a Corey Daniels walk loaded the bases setting the stage for Warren to score two on a double down the right-field line. A fielder's choice to second base ended the inning.
The Greyhounds again drew a lead in the eighth with a lead-off double being followed up by a one-out single to score a runner. Pfeffer got out of the inning after loading the bases with a groundout to Warren at first. The Greyhound's pitching staff rectified two one-out singles with their second double play of the day to carry a one-run lead into the ninth.
They added two runs in the ninth in an inning with three opening singles followed by a wild pitch and RBI groundout for a 7-4 advantage needing just three outs for game one. The Eagles rallied for three in the bottom half, getting two aboard via a single and hit batter with two outs. From three, Mock doubled to score two, and Woodrow singled for the third. The Eagles stranded two on a swinging strikeout to go to extras.
Neither time got a baserunner past first in the tenth inning, while Moravian found the game-winning run in the eleventh via two lead-off singles and a groundout to score a run. Juniata could only get one runner on in the 11th and was unable to draw back level to drop game one.
Game two again saw Juniata make up a deficit in the bottom of the ninth before dropping a lone run in extra innings.
Juniata struck for 21 hits and was led by Daniels (4-for-5, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 2 R), Caden Collins (3-for-3, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 R), Allegrini (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 WB), Snyder (2-for-6, 2 RBI, 1 BB), and Jace Irvin (3-for-6, 2 RBI, 2 R).
By the end of the first, the scoreline stood at 5-4 in favor of the Greyhounds following six hits (5 1B, 1 2B) for Moravian and five hits (3 1B, 2 2B) for Juniata. The deficit remained the same after two innings, and each scored a run apiece.
Juniata outpaced Moravian 4-2 in the third inning to go ahead 9-8. Mock earned a leadoff walk followed by three-straight singles from Allegrini, Irvin, and Matthew Quigley to score two runs. The final two runs of the inning came from a one-out Snyder single.
Moravian retook the lead 10-9 via two walks and two singles in the fourth inning while adding one run each in the fifth and sixth innings. Juniata tacked on one run in the fifth inning on a Collins single, making use of a leadoff Quigley double.
Moravian carried a 12-10 lead into the final third of regulation, and Juniata made it 12-11 via three-straight one-out singles culminating with Daniels scoring Collins on the third single in the sequence.
Each side scored two runs in the eighth inning, leaving Juniata one run down heading into the bottom of the ninth after Blake Magill stranded two runners with a popout in the top half. Daniels singled, and Warren was hit yet again to start the ninth, then Eric Soccio executed a sacrifice bunt to get both runners in scoring position. Mock was walked intentionally, then Juniata leveled the score with an Allegrini RBI groundout before a groundout stranded two runners in scoring position.
Moravian took the lead on a fielder's choice with one out in the top of the tenth, then a one-out double play in the bottom of the tenth killed a Juniata come back for their second loss of the day.
Juniata concludes the three-game series against Moravian on Friday with a single game starting at 3:30 pm.