HAMBURG, NY – Hilbert College Baseball hosted Alfred State this afternoon in a pair of pivitol AMCC matchups with each team fighting for postseason seeding.
Prior to the doubleheader, the Hawks honored seniors
Kyle Borrello,
Ben Chowaniec,
Jack Duffek,
Nolan Evans,
Spencer Harford,
William Hudson,
Derek Martinez,
Griffin McAndrews,
Dylan Moorhouse,
Joe Reitebach,
Brendan Walsh and
Matthew Whelan for their dedication to the program.
When the action began, Hilbert used clutch hitting and seven strong innings from
Dylan Moorhouse to earn a 3-2 walk-off win in game one, before falling 14-2 in game two for the split.
After allowing two runs in the top of the first (neither earned) Moorhouse settled in and shut down the Pioneers' lineup over the rest of the game to keep the Hawks in it. The senior right-hander, who moved into second on the program's all-time wins list following the contest, went seven innings, allowing just four hits, one walk, and no earned runs, while striking out seven batters.
Offensively, Hilbert struggled early on, but following a
Dustin Hendrix leadoff double in fifth,
Austin Wasily sent his first career home run over the wall in right to tie the game, before
Joey Haynes' second hit of the game scored
Billy LoBello in the bottom of the seventh to walk-off game one.
The Hawks recorded just four hits in the night cap, but
Kyle Borrello had himself a huge day at the plate as the senior right fielder went 2-2 with a pair of solo home runs.
Harley Hoag and
David Earsing each poked a base hit, while five pitchers saw action on the mound in the game for Hilbert with senior
Matthew Whelan tossing a scoreless seventh frame.
Game One: Hilbert 3 – Alfred State 2
Game Two: Hilbert 2 – Alfred State 12
Game One:
- The Pioneers recorded a lone hit in the top of the first, but a hit by pitch and an error but runners on base and allowed the single to score a pair of runs and give the visitors an early 2-0 advantage.
- The two-run lead remained until the fifth inning, when Wasily's two-run shot knotted the game. The Hawks looked to pull ahead in the frame with runners on first and third, but a groundout ended the inning with the score still tied.
- Neither team produced much offense in the sixth as a two-out Pioneer single would be the lone baserunner of the frame. Moorhouse continued to roll as he sent down Alfred State in order in the top of the seventh, setting the offense up to end the game with a run.
- After Wasily led the inning off with a walk, LoBello entered the game as a pinch-runner, where he immediately stole second to put the winning run in scoring position. Following a walk of Borello, Haynes stepped to the plate and delivered the ball to right field, allowing LoBello to score and the Hawks to take a 3-2 game one win.
Game Two:
- Alfred State once again opened the scoring in game two, as a run-scoring double in the top of the first made it a 1-0 game.
- However, Hilbert had an immediate response this time as Borrello's lead-off home run evened the score in the home half of the first.
- Over the next four innings, the Pioneers tacked on eleven runs to open up a commanding 12-1 lead after five frames.
- Alfred State tallied two more runs in the top of the sixth, before Borrello's second long ball of the game made it 14-2 in the bottom of the inning.
- The game ended after a scoreless seventh from both offenses as the Pioneers held a twelve-run advantage following the seventh inning.
Up Next
The Hawks head to Altoona on Sunday, April 27
th to take on the Penn State Altoona Lions in an AMCC doubleheader beginning at 1 pm.
