Baseball: Bison split with Panthers on opening day; Zupko hits two-run walkoff HR

BETHANY W.Va.-  The sun shined onto Bethany Park for the Bethany College baseball's opening day against the Pitt-Bradford Panthers. This double header was the start of a three-game series. The series will be decided in the 9-inning game on Monday as the Bison split their opening doubleheader with the Panthers 1-1.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bethany *technically* took the lead in their first official at bat of the season. Payton Zupko led off game one with a free pass. Nick Roell put down a sacrifice bunt to move a runner into scoring position with one away. Although he hit in the three hole, Josh Speaker registered the first AB of the season when he laced a ball into right center for an RBI triple. Grant Schaffner lifted a sacrifice fly to center to give the Bethany Bison a quick 2-0 lead over the Panthers. 
• The Panthers capitalized on three consecutive Bison errors to score their first run of the game. A fielding error at short followed by a sailed pickoff attempt put a runner on second. A shallow fly ball in right field was misjudged and the Panthers put an unearned run on the board. 
• The top of the Pitt- Bradford order has multiple hitters that hit well over .300 last season. However Trey Mantle kept them in check totaling an impressive nine strikeouts in four and two-thirds. With one out to go in the fifth, the Panthers started a miniature two-out rally with three consecutive extra base hits. Andrew Bokulich hit a double and was promptly replaced by Evan Frangela for the first earned run on Mantle's report card. Maxwell Rogers one-upped them both with a triple to give Pitt-Bradford the lead in the top of the fifth.
• The Bison tied the game at three in the bottom of the sixth. The Zupko-Speaker combo struck again when Zupko sliced a leadoff single into the grass. He journeyed home after Speaker stroked his second opposite field extra base hit of the game.  
• JT Hubert worked out of a few jams in two and a third scoreless innings in relief for Mantle. The Bison carried the tied ball game to the bottom of the seventh. Due to NCAA rules, double-headers are scheduled to be seven inning games. Therefore, the walk off was in play. 
• The Bison started their half of the inning with a single from Tyler McKee. Unable to get any more production from the bottom of the order, Zupko came to bat with two outs. McKee was set to steal second to put himself in scoring position when Zupko turned on an inside pitch and blasted a no-doubt walkoff homerun. Zupko looked to the dugout off contact because he immediately knew he pulled off two-out heroics to take home the first Bethany Baseball win of the season 5-3.
• Pitt-Bradford was the one to strike in the first inning during game two. Blake Prestash drove a run in with an RBI single. That put runners on the corners with two outs. An error by the Bison allowed another runner to cross home and put them at an early 2-0 deficit. 
• The Bison got one back by playing small ball in the bottom of the third. The top of the order notched back to back singles while Schaffner got beaned to load the bases. Sonny Peluchette worked a 10 pitch at bat into a walk to earn himself an RBI and put the Bison on the board. 
• Zach Presnell started the game for the Bison, pitching three innings and giving up two earned. The Bethany bullpen cleared the back half of the game without giving up a single earned run. It was fielding mistakes that continued to plague the Bison in the second game of the day. Singles continued to turn into runs on the account of errors, totaling five runs given up through seven. 
• It certainly didn't help that Pitt-Bradford Shawn Mannering was locked in, collecting 10 strikeouts in five innings pitched. The Bison offense wasn't able to put together enough runs to overcome the fielding mistakes and they fell in the second game 5-1. 

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE 

• Payton Zupko had three hits, four runs and two RBIs on the day. 
• Josh Speaker had three hits including a double and a triple. He added one run and two RBIs. 
• Trey Mantle had nine strikeouts in 4.2 innings pitched. 

UP NEXT 

Bethany will have an opportunity to win the series against Pitt-Bradford on Monday, Feb. 26. That game is set to begin at noon in Bethany Park.