FREDERICKSBURG, Va.- A commanding opening-day performance from starting pitcher Chase Alessandroni and a productive Eagles offense led to an 8-5 victory over Mary Washington to start Juniata baseball's 2023 season.
Alessandroni gave up just one hit, and one walk over five innings pitched with four strikeouts, while all eight Juniata runs came in the first five innings, as the Eagles forced Mary Washington's pitcher out of the contest after three innings with seven earned runs.
Juniata opened the contest with a run in the first, as Joey Woodrow doubled to center to score Dakotah Snyder from second base. An infield error from Mary Washington saw the Eagles salvage an out on Woodrow at third, and a strikeout ended the first.
Juniata got runners to first and second to open the second before three-straight ground balls ended the top of the second.
The Eagles tacked on two more runs in the third. Woodrow got things going with a one-out walk followed by an Evan Mock Single. An Aaron Bollinger infield single loaded the bases, followed by an Ethan Pfeffer single to left, scoring two. Mary Washington got out of the jam with a double play.
Following two innings of no-hit ball for Mary Washington, the Eagles got their first hit with a one-out double to put a runner in scoring position. Alessandroni kept the slate clean with two straight caught-looking strikeouts to end the third.
Juniata exploded in the fourth inning with four runs to build out a 7-0 gap proved beneficial later on. Corey Daniels walked, and Jackson Cunnane singled to open the inning, then Joey Allegrini doubled into the gap to score the first run. A single to left from Snyder scored another and forced a Mary Washington pitching change. The reliever opened his appearance with a strikeout before Mock cleared the bases with a two-run double to left. A flyout and lineout concluded the inning.
Snyder scored one run in the fifth on a single to right field with two outs scoring Michael Warren from second before a strikeout ended the top of the fifth.
The game entered a scoring slump in the sixth and seventh innings, as Juniata was unable to register a hit, while Dominic Hoyle delivered two innings of relief with two hits and no earned runs.
The bottom of the eighth saw a near unraveling of the Juniata lead as Mary Washington collected five runs. Mary Washington opened with three straight singles to score their first run before Juniata finally found a flyout. This was followed by a single to load the bases and a bases-clearing double for an 8-4 ballgame. A single put runners at the corners, followed by a wild pitch to make it a three-run game. Zachary Malone put an end to the rally with a flyout and strikeout.
Juniata got a runner to first on a walk in the ninth inning but would end up carrying a three-run lead into the bottom half. Malone struck out the first batter, produced a flyout to center field, and, following a single, wrapped up the game with a flyout to second base.
Alessandroni earned his seventh career win in the game, while Snyder collected his fourth career three-hit game. He, Mock, and Pfeffer each totaled two RBIs.
Juniata wraps up the series with two games tomorrow against Mary Washington at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm.
