ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend baseball dropped an 8-5 decision to non-conference Allegheny in their home opener on Tuesday afternoon.
Score: Allegheny 8, Penn State Behrend 5
Records: Allegheny (1-0), Penn State Behrend (6-1)
Key Moments:
* Allegheny took a 6-0 lead through six and a half innings and held on to open the season with a win
* As a team, the Gators hit for the cycle to break open a pair of scoreless innings to start the contest
* Allegheny used a double to get on the board in the second, a home run in the fourth and a triple in the fifth for a three-run advantage after five
* The Lions, who posted six hits in the first eight innings, registered five in the ninth inning to produce three runs
* Sophomore Juston Jones (Moon Township, PA/Moon) made his second hit of the day a double with two outs showing in the ninth to score Anthony Slate (Hopewell, PA/Hopewell) to begin the comeback attempt
* Two more hits led to Behrend bases loaded for the second time in the game
* A single to center field by junior Zack Bowen (Pittsburgh, PA/Serra Catholic) drove in two more runs for the final margin
* Senior Caleb Caldwell (Frewsburg, NY/Frewsburg) made it through six innings of work, striking out two and allowing three runs in his first start on the mound this season
* Allegheny's Bobby Kusinsky went 6.2 innings and fanned four batters for the pitcher of record
* Slate had back-to-back extraordinary catches in center field in the top of the sixth inning while Isaac Stouffer (Punxsutawney, PA/Punxsutawney) and Braden Paulinellie (DuBois, PA/DuBois Area) made strong defensive plays for Behrend
* Slate led with three hits on four appearances at the plate and scored a pair of runs, while Jones finished with three RBI
Up Next:
* The Lions are back in action on Thursday at home for a non-conference doubleheader against Hiram. First pitch is at 1 p.m.