READING, Pa. – The Albright baseball team got the last laugh in a back-and-forth non-conference game against Delaware Valley on Tuesday afternoon at Kelchner Field, winning 6-5 with a run in its final at-bat.
Tanner Brescancine,
Noah Beebe and
Joe Suppa each had two hits to lead the Lions' offense.
Beebe's two singles came late, and both scored big runs. In the seventh, his base hit scored Brescancine to give Albright a 5-4 lead after the Aggies scored two in the top of the inning to tie the game.
Delaware Valley tied the score on a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth, setting the stage for more heroics in the bottom half of the inning. Brescancine led off by reaching on a throwing error, and
Jesse Fikslin came in to pinch run. After a sacrifice bunt by
Zach Krause, Beebe ripped a single through the middle to score Fikslin easily for the walk-off win.
Albright got on the board in the bottom of the first thanks to some aggressive baserunning.
Nathan Fretz was at third after a leadoff walk, and Brescancine was at first after a single. Brescancine took off for second, and he beat the throw down. That allowed Fretz to race home to give the Lions a 1-0 lead on a double steal.
Delaware Valley scored runs in the second and fifth innings to take a 2-1 lead. Despite allowing two runs, the Albright pitching staff allowed just one hit – an RBI double in the second inning – through the first six innings.
Daron Pijanowski started for Albright, allowing just one unearned run on one hit in four innings. Just two of Delaware Valley's five runs were earned runs.
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Albright scored three runs after the first two hitters made outs.
Jimmie Gentry hit an infield single, and he later scored on a Brescancine base hit to make it 2-2. Krause and Beebe followed with walks to load the bases, and that set the stage for
Joe Suppa's two-run single to push Albright back ahead, 4-2. The pitching staffs combined to walk 13 batters.
Delaware Valley scored twice in the top of the seventh inning to tie the score at 4-4, and that put the game in Beebe's hands with his two clutch base hits in the final innings.
Brescancine had two walks to go with his two hits, allowing him to reach base four times in five plate appearances.
Albright returns to action tomorrow against Penn State Harrisburg at Kelchner Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
