Hamburg, NY - On a pivotal late-season afternoon, baseball delivered exactly what it needed. The Mounties battled to a split on the road at Hilbert, using a dominant pitching performance in the opener and timely situational hitting throughout the day to remain firmly in the AMCC playoff hunt. With every game carrying postseason implications, the Mounties showed resilience in a hard-fought 5-3 extra-inning win before dropping game two 6-2.
Game One: Mounties Grind Out Extra-Inning Victory
Mount Aloysius leaned on a gritty pitching performance and late offense to secure a 5-3 extra-inning win in the opener.
Despite surrendering a run in the first inning, Troy Misiura (Coalport, Pa., Glendale) quickly settled in and delivered one of his strongest outings of the season. The right-hander held Hilbert hitless until the fifth inning (despite scoring a first-inning run) and worked through constant traffic, allowing just four hits and two earned runs across seven innings while striking out five.
The Mounties broke through in the fourth inning, as Tyler Alexander (Portage, Pa., Portage) delivered an RBI single to tie the game before Cole Harkness (Hughesville, Md., Saint Mary's Ryken) followed with a go-ahead knock to make it 2-1.
Hilbert answered to even the score twice, but the Mounties continued to find ways. Anthony Maseto (Cherry Tree, Pa., Harmony) lifted a sacrifice fly in the sixth to give the Mounties a 3-2 edge before Hilbert capitalized on a defensive miscue to tie it once again.
With the game deadlocked late, the Mounties delivered in the eighth. Alexander came through again with a clutch RBI double, and Logan Quade (Mechanicsville, Md., Chopticon) followed with an RBI single to provide key insurance.
Tanner Abrams (Pleasantville, Pa., Titusville) shut the door in the final frame, securing his second career save and preserving the 5-3 victory.
At the plate, Alexander led the way with a three-hit, two-RBI performance, while Sidric Grove (Clearville, Pa., Everett) and Trent Dickson (Reinholds, Pa., Cocalico) each scored twice as part of an 11-hit attack.
Game Two: Mounties Unable to Complete Sweep Despite Early Push
In game two, the Mounties couldn't quite couldn't carry over the momentum, falling 6-2 as Hilbert responded to salvage the split.
Hilbert struck early with runs in each of the first two innings, putting the Mounties on their heels. The Mount answered in the third inning, capitalizing on a wild pitch and an RBI single from Maseto to tie the game at 2-2.
However, the momentum quickly shifted back in Hilbert's favor. The Hawks regained control in the fourth inning with a pair of runs, aided by a balk and a run-scoring single, before adding two more in the sixth to extend the lead.
Scott Ranallo (Pittsburgh, Pa., North Hills) took the loss despite battling through 5.1 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits.
Offensively, the Mounties collected seven hits, with Harkness leading the way with a pair of knocks. Alexander added a double as part of another solid game at the plate, but Mount Aloysius was unable to string together enough timely hits to mount a comeback.
The Mounties (13-23, 7-8 AMCC) are now down to their final two doubleheaders of the regular season. On Monday, they'll travel to Grove City (1 & 3 pm) for a DH before concluding a DH at Pitt-Bradford next Saturday (1 & 3:30 pm).
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