Baseball: Bison drop rubber match to Panthers

BETHANY, W.Va. – The Bethany College baseball team faced the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in the rubber match of their three game series Monday afternoon.

THE BASICS

Final Score: UPB 14, Bethany 7

Records:

• UPB (2-1, 0-0 AMCC)
• Bethany (1-2, 0-0 PAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bethany jumped out to a quick five run lead in the bottom half of the first. Nick Roell got the Bison offense started with a double to right field. Back-to-back walks brought up Sonny Peluchetti with bases loaded. Izek Baldwin drove in two runs with Grant Schaffner and Josh Speaker scoring. Sonny Peluchetti scored on a Panther error and a few batters later, Tyler McKee scored on a passed ball.
• Both teams were held scoreless until the fourth inning where the Bison tacked on another run. Roell had runners on first and third. He laid down the bunt that caught the third baseman off guard that allowed Mike Hines to score and everyone to be safe on the bases.
• Pitt-Bradford took full advantage of the tired Christian Simmons. A leadoff double and back-to-back walks, allowed the Panthers to have bases loaded with no outs. Prestash singled that drove in the first run of the game for the Panthers. A bases loaded walk allowed the Panthers to plate another run. The Panthers would go on and score eight runs in the top of the fifth.
• In the bottom half of the fifth, pinch hitter Hunter Rhoades hit his first career homerun to cut the deficit, 8-7.
• Pitt-Bradford added one run in the sixth, and capitalized on three Bison errors to score four runs on one hit in the seventh. The Panthers added one more run in the eighth sealing the victory and series win over the Bison.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Izek Baldwin had two hits with two RBIs and one walk.
• Payton Zupko, Nick Roell, and Derek Black had two hits apiece.
• Seven different Bison scored a run.
• Christian Simmons pitched 4.0 innings with six hits, four walks and two strikeouts.

Up Next
The Bison return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 28 when they host Muskingum in a single-nine inning matchup at 2 pm.