HOUGHTON, NY—The Houghton Highlanders rallied from a 9-7 deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat the Pitt-Bradford Panthers in game one of a doubleheader at the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex on Tuesday, 12-11.
The Panthers took game two with less fanfare, defeating the Highlanders, 7-1, in the nightcap.
Game One: David Wessells drove in two runs with an RBI single to centerfield in the second, and
Garret Kirkpatrick ripped a 2-RBI double in the third to give the Highlanders a 7-4 lead.
The Panthers answered with a pair of runs in the fifth and three more in the top of the sixth to go up 9-7.
In the bottom of the sixth, though, Houghton scored five runs on five hits, including a bases-clearing double to deep left-center by
Ethan Duryea and another RBI single by
Bryan Hodge.
The Panthers made things interesting in the seventh, plating a pair of runs before
Carl Holmes closed the door with two runners left on base.
Wessells, Hodge and
John Zamites each collected two hits apiece for the Highlanders.
Game Two: The Panthers outhit the Highlanders 10-5 and scored at least one run in five of their seven offensive halves, including a three-run third.
Four Pitt-Bradford players collected multi-hit games, as well.
John Zamites went 2-for-2 for Houghton, and
Taylor Huntsman picked up the lone RBI on a single in the fifth inning.
Coach's Corner
"We never really clicked offensively in that second game, and you'll have days like that. Unfortunately, we gave them too many free bases and they capitalized with frequency.
"Give credit to Pitt-Bradford: they lost a tough game in the opener then outhit and outplayed us in the nightcap.
"We made some mistakes throughout the day, and our pitching needs to be sharper. We allowed the leadoff man to reach base in 10 of their 14 offensive innings and they scored in every one of them. In the four innings where we kept the leadoff man off base they did not score a run. That's where we need to improve.
"I continue to see good things from our guys. They're a scrappy bunch. We'll go back to work tomorrow and prepare for this weekend's conference opener with Stevens." –Coach
Brian Reitnour