NEW WILMINGTON, Pa.- The Juniata baseball team recovered from a 5-3 game one loss against Westminster in seven innings to snag a 6-5 victory in nine-inning game two with sunlight fading on Sunday afternoon.
A four-run fourth inning was the key for the Titans in game one, as Westminster secured a 5-3 victory in game one. Joey Woodrow led the offense for Juniata in the contest, going 2-for-3 with a double in two RBIs. Joey Allegrini also knocked in a run on a single, Dakotah Snyder went 2-for-3 with a double, and Matthew Quigley reached base in all three plate appearances (two singles, one walk).
Chase Alessandroni made it through five innings but was tagged for the five Westminster runs with eight hits and three strikeouts, while Dominic Hoyle struck out five over two innings of one-hit relief.
Juniata opened the game with a one-hit first inning before the Titans opened the scoring in the first inning. Westminster got two runners on with one out via a single and hit batter. Their cleanup hitter then hit a single up the middle to score a run. Following an out in the recovery of a wild pitch and a walk, Alessandroni escaped a two-runners jam with a strikeout.
Neither side scored in the second inning, although Westminster got a runner to third base with one out, and they were unable to score.
The Eagles then found two runs in the top of the third to reclaim the lead. Quigley opened the inning with a double, and he then advanced to third on an infield groundout. Allegrini delivered next with a single up the middle to score Quigley. Snyder followed with a single, and a double steal got two runners into scoring position with one out. Woodrow delivered a sacrifice fly to get the second run of the inning before a groundout ended the half-inning.
Westminster went down in order in the third, and Juniata advanced two runners into scoring position via a pair of walks and a wild pitch in the fourth, although Westminster escaped with a groundout.
The rest of the damage for Juniata came in the bottom half of the fourth inning. Juniata got to two outs with a runner on third base from a triple but fell victim to two straight singles, a walk, and two more singles to give Westminster a 5-2 lead.
Woodrow found his second RBI of the game as Snyder made it all the way from first base on a one-out double to right center to get back within two. Westminster produced a strikeout and popout to get out of the fifth.
Hoyle stepped onto the mound for Juniata in the fifth and sixth innings, producing two strikeouts in the fifth with three in the sixth, with just one hit allowed in the fifth inning. The Eagles were unable to get a runner beyond first base in their final two innings for a 5-3 final score.
Two runs in the third and three in the fourth built an early lead for Juniata, while Corey Daniels scored on a wild pitch in the eighth inning to provide just enough breathing room to halt a Westminster comeback for a 6-5 finale.
Woodrow provided another pair of RBIs in the game, going 2-for-5 with a double. Other RBIs in the contest came from Allegrini (1-for-2, 2 BBs), Snyder (1-for-4, 1 3B, 1 BB), and Aaron Bollinger (1-for-4). Jack Dovidio went five and two-thirds innings giving up four runs and seven hits with three strikeouts. In relief, Connor Rohm delivered two and third-thirds innings of no-hit support with four strikeouts, while Zachary Malone closed out the ninth inning with the save but conceded a run.
A Titans fielding error and Woodrow single put two runners on with one out, but Westminster delivered with a lineout and fielder's choice at third base to escape the jam. They were then sent down in order to head into the second.
Juniata went down in order to open the second inning, and Westminster found two runs on four straight singles before Juniata was able to register an out. Dovidio escaped the run with a groundball fielder's choice and two strikeouts to escape a bases-loaded jam.
Juniata posted five runs over the next two innings, while Westminster registered just one baserunner against Dovidio. Allegrini and Snyder walked with one out in the third, and Woodrow scored both with a double to left. A Corey Daniels bunt single put runners at the corners, followed by a foul out to first for two outs. Daniels attempted to steal second, and Woodrow broke for the plate, but he was caught stealing by the second baseman on a throwback home.
Michael Warren opened the fourth with a double to left, then Tyler Mack walked aboard. A groundout advanced them to second and third, and Bollinger delivered next with a single to left. This was followed by an Allegrini sacrifice fly and a Snyder triple for a 5-2 advantage.
Neither side advanced beyond first base in the fifth inning, while Westminster found another two runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull back within one run. Westminster got two runners on via walks, followed by a single to score a run. A bases-loading walk followed this, and Rohm replaced Dovidio at this point. He got a sacrifice fly and ground out to escape the jam relatively unscathed.
Neither side struck in the seventh, Daniels made use of errant pitching to score on a sacrifice fly and two wild pitches following a single. The bottom of the eight saw Westminster get runners to second and third via a sacrifice bunt following an infield error and walk. Rohm delivered back-to-back Ks to escape the inning.
Juniata carried the two-run lead into the bottom of the ninth inning and soon faced pressure following back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. Malone got two straight flyouts, the first scoring the runner on third. A wild pitch moved the runner from first to second base, and the next batter was intentionally put on. Malone struck out his next batter to leave the game-winning runner at first.
The Eagles move to 2-3 on the young season, posting a line of .299/.387/.371 so far, averaging a 5.80 ERA.
Juniata continues its early season trek with a visit to Baltimore on Saturday to play #25 Johns Hopkins for a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. Juniata is 1-2 against the Blue Jays, having most recently faced off in 2004.
