READING, Pa. – The Albright baseball team tied both games of its MAC Commonwealth doubleheader with Hood in its final at-bats, sending both games to extra innings on Saturday at Kelchner Field. The Lions lost game one, 6-5, in eight innings before rebounding for a big comeback win in game two, 7-6, also in eight innings.
Things looked bleak for the Lions in the sixth inning of game two. Hood had just scored five runs in the top of that inning to take a 6-0 lead as the Blazers looked for the doubleheader and the series sweep. Albright had one hit to that point in the game, and
Logan Adams' one-out single in the sixth gave him both Albright hits.
Jimmie Gentry followed with a single to put two men on, and an error allowed
Noah Beebe to reach to load the bases. Albright chipped into the Hood lead with a bases loaded walk to
Tanner Brescancine and a
Joe Suppa sacrifice fly to make it 6-2.
Albright needed four runs in its last at-bat in the seventh inning, and the Lions were down to their final out when Adams walked to load the bases. Gentry and Beebe followed with singles to score one run apiece to make it 6-4 with the bases still loaded. Brescancine followed with a grounder to third that would have ended the game, but a throwing error that went out of play scored two Lions to tie the score at 6-6.
Albright got the winning run in the eighth.
Zach Krause and
Kyle Gantert each singled, and
Austin Roth's walk loaded the bases with just one out. Adams flied out to right field, and that chased
Will Tokarski – a pinch runner for Krause – home with the winning run after he survived a collision at the plate.
Freshman
Ryan Kalinich earned his first career victory after firing 2.2 innings of scoreless and hitless relief for the Lions. He struck out two while just one batter.
Game one went back-and-forth. Hood scored a run in the top of the first, but Albright scored two runs thanks to a double by Suppa and an RBI groundout by Krause. Hood came back to take a 4-2 lead in the top of the fifth, but Beebe came through with an RBI single to score Roth in the bottom half of the frame to make it 4-3. Albright tied the score later in the inning with an unearned run from Gentry.
An infield single gave Hood a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth, and that put Albright against the wall in its final at-bat. Brescancine singled home Gentry to tie the score at 5-5, but the Lions hit into a bases loaded double play after that to send the game to extras.
Hood got the go-ahead run that finally stuck in the top of the eighth thanks to a one-out triple.
Jeff Yordy singled with one out in the bottom of the eighth, but another double play ended the contest.
Adams pitched three innings in relief in game one, allowing just one run on two hits. Gentry went 2-for-4 in each game.
Albright returns to action on Sunday afternoon for another MAC Commonwealth doubleheader. The Lions host Lebanon Valley at Kelchner Field starting at noon.
