ASTON, Pa. – In a back-and-forth affair, the Neumann University Baseball team struck last to pull out a 5-4 non-conference win over Albright College on Thursday afternoon.
Brandon Colon was the offensive catalyst for the Knights, going 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, two runs batted in, and a run scored.
Shawn Vega was also 2 for 3 with a walk, and an RBI.
After a scoreless first inning, Albright got on the board first with a run scoring on a wild pitch. With two outs in the fourth,
Jonathan Baker punched a single through the left side and moved to third on a double by
Nick Glebocki. B. Colon followed with a double of his own, scoring Baker and Glebocki, giving the Knights a 2-1 lead.
The Lions equalized in the top of the fifth as a run scored on a passed ball but Neumann retook the lead in the bottom of the inning.
Cristian Diaz led off with a single and moved all the way to third on an errant pickoff throw. Two batters later,
Alec Silverman flew out to left, scoring Diaz on the sacrifice fly for a 3-2 advantage.
The Lions took the lead in the sixth on an RBI single and an RBI double, but again, the Knights didn't allow them to enjoy the lead very long. B. Colon led off the bottom of the inning with a walk then Vega singled. After a fly out moved B. Colon to third, and Vega stole second,
AJ Nardo flew out to deep center, scoring B. Colon to tie the game at four apiece.
The seventh was scoreless but Glebocki led off the eighth by getting plunked by a pitch. He quickly stole second base. B. Colon bunted him over to third and Vega drove in the winning run on a sacrifice fly to left field. With the win, Neumann ends a five game losing streak.
Chris Balshuweit picked up his first collegiate win to improve to 1-0 on the season. He went 2 2/3 innings in relief, retiring all eight batters he faced, striking out five.
Jack Valentine picked up his second save of the year, allowing a hit and a walk in the ninth, but he struck out three to seal the game.
Neumann (7-12, 0-3 Atlantic East) will return to action on Tuesday when they visit Moravian University in non-conference action. First pitch from Bethlehem, Pa. is scheduled for 4:00 PM.
