HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata baseball team dropped a 5-1 lead through four innings in a 9-6 defeat of the series finale against Moravian on Friday afternoon.
Michael Warren (3-for-5, 1 RBI), Joey Allegrini (3-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 R), Caden Collins (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 R), and David Beard (2-for-5) each had multiple hits for Juniata in a day where the Eagles combined for 14 hits, all of which were singles. Warren has now reached base safely in 20 consecutive games with his performance this afternoon.
Ari Lonstein got the start for the Eagles on the day and made it through three innings giving up one earned run with three hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.
He started the afternoon escaping a bases-loaded jam after giving up two walks in addition to a Juniata infield error. With one out, he produced a strikeout and ground ball to Warren at first to end the inning. The Eagles rallied with three straight singles with two outs in the bottom of the first to get on the board, with the hits coming from Evan Mock, Beard, and lastly Allegrini to score one.
Each side went down in order in the second, while Lonstein stranded a pair of runners after back-to-back two-out singles via a flyout. Juniata again went down in order in the third.
Connor Meisner relieved Lonstein after a leadoff single to start the fourth. He faced adversity with a one-out single and walk to load the bases, but he got out of the inning, giving up just the inherited runner after producing a fielder's choice and a flyout.
The Eagles broke the deadlock just moments later with a four-run fourth inning to take a 5-1 lead. Allegrini and Matthew Quigley singled to get things started, then Sebastian Tringali walked to load the bases. With two outs, a wild pitch advanced the runners to score the first run; then Collins put a ball up the middle to score a second. With runners on the corners, Warren executed an infield single to score the third run of the inning, then Corey Daniels singled down the left-field line for the fourth run of the inning. A strikeout ended the fourth with two runners on base.
Each team managed one hit in the fifth, but the Greyhounds struck for five runs in the sixth inning to reclaim the lead at 6-5. They combined for five hits with an infield error mixed in before Juniata was able to record an out. The fifth run scored on a fielder's choice for the first out, and the Eagles fought for back-to-back groundouts to leave the frame down one.
Jace Irvin and Warren singled in the sixth to get two aboard with one out, but the Greyhounds produced two flyouts to preserve their lead with a third of the game left. Moravian posted three insurance runs in the seventh inning. A double and hit batter started the inning, then a wild pitch advanced both runners 90 feet.
Krauhelic produced a flyout deep enough to entice the runner at third to try to score, but an accurate throw from Daniels in center and a well-placed tag from Irvin got Juniata double play. With two outs, the Greyhounds strung together three-straight singles and a double for their three runs.
Juniata went down in order in the seventh and was unable to score in the eighth despite a pair of two-out singles. Harrison Leister kept the gap at four after stranding two runners with a flyout and a fielder's choice.
Mock was hit to start the bottom of the ninth, then an Allegrini single with one out got runners on the corners. Tyler Mack stepped in as a pinch hitter and scored Mock from third on a fielder's choice play for the second out. The Greyhounds struck out the next batter to complete their series sweep.
The Eagles prepare for their final series of the 2023 season as they host #22 Catholic for three games this weekend. They start with a pair of games on Saturday, with the first pitch of game one scheduled for noon.
