Juniata Falls to Mt. Aloysius Despite Johnston's Homer
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – A two-run homer from Zach Johnston in the sixth gave Juniata a spark, but the Eagles couldn't complete the comeback, falling 6-2 to Mt. Aloysius on Wednesday afternoon at Langdon Goodale Field.
After a pitcher's duel in the early innings, Mt. Aloysius broke through in the third with an unearned run. They added two more in the fifth to take a 3-0 lead. Juniata answered in the sixth when Johnston launched a two-run home run, bringing home Ethan Pfeffer to cut the deficit to 3-2.
The Eagles kept it close until the eighth, when Mt. Aloysius capitalized on a hit-by-pitch, a pair of passed balls, and a sacrifice fly to score three runs, extending their lead to 6-2.
Juniata put together nine hits on the day, with Johnston, Joey Woodrow, and Jordan Chui each collecting two. Connor Blough, David Beard, Caden Collins, and Pfeffer also added hits. The Eagles showed some aggression on the base paths, with Blough, Jace Irvin, and Chui each stealing a base.
On the mound, Aidan Chermol was solid in his outing, allowing just one unearned run on one hit over four innings while striking out three. Landen Eichhorn also put together a strong two-inning relief appearance, giving up just one hit with two strikeouts.
Juniata will play a three-game set with Wilkes this weekend in Wilkes-Barre.