HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata baseball team dropped a pair of games to the Alvernia Golden Wolves on Saturday afternoon, losing game one 14-5 and game two 21-1.
Game one saw strong offensive performances from Michael Warren (3-for-5, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R), who hit a pair of doubles, and Corey Daniels (2-for-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R), who hit his first career home run for the Eagles. For Warren, it was his eighth multi-hit game of the season.
Jason Waguespack stepped into the game in the sixth inning and delivered three and two-thirds innings with no earned runs and three hits, although five runs came in during this span as the Eagles' defense committed one error in the seventh and two in the ninth. In the game, Juniata committed six errors.
Starting pitcher Chase Alessandroni got through the first inning with just one runner reaching on an error, while a Warren single is all Juniata could register in the bottom half.
A hit batter started a two-run second inning for the Golden Wolves, who proceeded to string together three straight hits following the hit batter. They then struck for four in the third, two in the fourth, and one in the fifth to take a commanding 9-0 lead halfway through the game.
Alvernia pitching strung together a streak of 12 consecutive batters being retired before Joey Woodrow singled with two outs in the fifth. Juniata then struck for three runs in the sixth inning. Dakotah Snyder opened the inning with a walk; then Daniels homered to left to get two on the board. This was followed by back-to-back doubles from Warren and Evan Mock. Alvernia left two runners stranded in the inning following the early setbacks.
Alvernia stretched their lead to 11-3 in the top of the seventh, getting runners aboard with a single and a hit batter with one out. An infield throwing error allowed both runners to score from second and third before Waguespack got a flyout and lineout to end the inning.
Juniata got one run back in the eighth inning as David Beard reached second base on an infield throwing error from the Alvernia shortstop. Allegrini singled to score Beard. Woodrow reached on another shortstop infield error to get two aboard, but the momentum was killed when Allegrini was caught trying to steal third. A strikeout ended the frame.
Two errors in the top of the ninth contributed to three more Alvernia runs for a 14-4 scoreline. There was just one runner aboard with two outs; then the Golden Wolves loaded the bases with a single and Juniata infield error. A single from the next batter scored two runs; then another infield error scored the inning's third.
Daniels and Warren delivered back-to-back doubles with two outs to give Juniata one run for the game's 14-5 final score.
Game two saw Juniata's largest deficit of the season as they fell 21-1 with four big Alvernia inning, including a five-run first, four-run second, four-run fifth, and five-run ninth.
The lone Juniata run came when Mock singled in the bottom of the fourth inning to score Daniels from second base following his leadoff single. All eight Eagles hits in the game were singles, and no one struck for multiple hits. The Juniata defense kept errors to just one in game two following struggles in game one.
The Juniata baseball team faces three opponents for six total games at Langdon-Goodale Field this week; They start with a pair of games against Mount Aloysius College on Wednesday. The first pitch of game one is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
