HOUGHTON, NY— The Houghton Highlanders continued to roll on Thursday afternoon, picked up their fourth and fifth consecutive wins, as they swept both ends of a doubleheader from the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford Panthers, 4-2 and 8-6.
GAME VITALS
Game 1 Score: Pitt-Bradford – 2 | Houghton – 4
Game 2 Score: Pitt-Bradford – 6 | Houghton – 8
Records: Pitt-Bradford: 7-5 | Houghton: 6-4
Venue: Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex, Houghton University | Attendance: 75/75
Game 1: With the score knotted at two-each in the bottom of the sixth,
Qingyang Feng laced a single to right field, scoring
Christian Tortorici to give the Highlanders the go-ahead run.
Nate Hall would follow with a base hit to right, scoring Feng, who had alertly taken second base on the throw home to try to get Tortorici on the previous play.
On the hill,
Aiden Talcott picked up his third win of the season, tossing a complete game, allowing only five hits and one walk, striking out one while the Highlanders defense turned three double plays.
Game 2: The Highlanders jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings, and by the end of the fourth, led 7-2.
But the Panthers battled back, scoring four runs in the top of the fifth to pull within a run. With runners on the corners, Houghton's
Brett Rosario entered the game, inducing a pop-up to second and leaving the tying run at third.
In the bottom of the sixth, Houghton added an insurance run when
Vincent Lucyszyn reached on a two-out error, stole second, and
Christian Tortorici laced a single to centerfield to score him.
Rosario picked up his first save of the season, tossing 2.1 innings of scoreless relief without allowing a hit.
KEY STATS:
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Ian Slate went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a walk, while Feng, Hall,
Kanta Ueno and
Mason Sutherland all picked up two hits apiece on the day.
>> The Highlanders have turned 15 double plays so far this season through their first 10 games. Their opponents have turned five. The school record is 31, established in 2017.
COACH'S CORNER:
"These were a pair of good wins for us today. Pitt-Bradford always plays us tough, and they are a much-improved club this year.
"In the first game, Aiden [Talcott] gave us exactly what we needed—he pounded the zone and kept hitters off-balance. We made some excellent plays for him defensively, and we came up with clutch hits when we needed them.
"In the second game, Brett [Rosario] did an excellent job of closing the door on their rally, and not allowing them to get back into the game.
"Again, offensively, we came up with big hits when we needed them and took advantage of our opponent's mistakes." – Head Coach
Brian Reitnour
UP NEXT:
The Highlanders head to Grove City, Pennsylvania on Saturday for a doubleheader with the Grove City College Wolverines at 1:00 p.m.
