PITTSBURGH, PA – #18 La Roche Baseball earned the outright AMCC Championship and #1 seed in the upcoming AMCC Tournament after sweeping Alfred State 2-1, 5-0 on Senior Day. Jon Spina walked it off in game 1 while Ethan Lewis, Jake Seymour, Jesse Savisky, and Shane Emrich combined for a game 2 shutout.
Game 1:
Cam Smith tossed a scoreless top of the first but the Redhawks left the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning.
Alfred State used an error to grab a 1-0 lead midway through the second. Smith left a runner on second in the third and put together a pick-off, strikeout to end the top of the fourth.
La Roche got on the board with a run in the bottom of the inning. Gino Quahliero hit a leadoff single and tied it with an Austin Hoffman single up the middle.
Smith sent Alfred State down in order in the fifth and used a 2-3-4-1 caught stealing to keep it at 1-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
The Redhawks walked it off in the bottom of the inning. Dylan Urban got things going with a one out single up the middle. He stole second and advanced to third on an overthrow. Phil Pieto drew a walk and Elmo Trickett, running for Pieto, stole second to eliminate the double play.
Jon Spina came to the plate and lined a shot up the middle for the 2-1 victory and the AMCC Regular Season Title.
Smith improves to 3-0 on the year. He struck out 6 and scattered 3 runs over 7 innings.
Urban stole his twenty-eighth base of the year to crack the AMCC's top 10 single seasons ever.
Game 2:
Ethan Lewis threw two perfect innings to start the late game. The Redhawks backed the senior with a pair of runs in the second inning.
Hoffman drew a walk, stole second, and scored on Urban's infield single. Urban scored three batters later on a Spina groundout.
Alfred State single in the third, but Lewis continued to roll through the batting order. Roebuck caught a Pioneer trying to steal to end the fourth inning.
Lewis tossed a 1-2-3 fifth inning and left a runner at second in the sixth. The Redhawks nearly took a 3-0 lead but a runner was thrown out at home for the third out.
Relief pitcher Jake Seymour threw a scoreless seventh inning. La Roche took a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the inning.
Roebuck reached and advanced to third on a Quahliero double to left-centerfield. Novak followed with a hit to center to score both. Urban registered his second RBI of the game, doubling home Novak.
Savisky tossed a perfect eighth inning. Emrich ended it with a 6-3 double play.
Novak reached base three times, hit in two, and scored. Urban went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs and a run.