MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Neumann University Baseball team defeated the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in the Knights' final game of their week-long season-opening excursion to the palmetto state. They took Friday's matchup by a final score of 7-5.
Anthony Rakotz went 2 for 4 with a home run, a walk, a run batted in, and two runs scored.
Joe Boccio was 3 for 4 with two RBI and four runs, while both
Josh Finger and
Thomas Carroll went 2 for 4 with two RBI each, and Finger added a walk.
Jack Valentine had a solid start with five innings pitched, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks, striking out five.
Cam Leighton earned the win with 1.1 innings of relief work, only allowing a walk.
Neumann got the game rolling in the top of the first when they put together a two-out rally. Rakotz started it with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Boccio followed with a single to right to plate Rakotz.
Andrew Brown followed with a single and Finger knocked in Boccio for a 2-0 lead.
Pitt-Bradford responded with a run in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double. In the third, Rakotz blasted a solo home run over the left field wall to regain the two-run lead. Boccio followed by getting hit by a pitch and Brown singled up the middle to move Boccio to second. Carroll drove in Boccio with an RBI single to right to make it 4-1.
With one out in the top of the fifth, Boccio reached on a base hit up the middle. He moved to second on a Brown single, then Finger loaded the bases on a walk. Carroll lifted a fly ball to right that was deep enough to score Boccio on the sacrifice fly. The Panthers got a run back on a solo homer in the bottom of the inning to make it 5-2.
In the sixth, Pitt-Bradford got a run on an RBI fielder's choice and then tied the game in the seventh on a two-run double to the right field gap. After a scoreless eighth,
Tyler Kilmer led off the ninth with a single to right and moved to second on a balk. Two batters later, Boccio singled to right to plate Kilmer and give the Knights the lead. After Brown reached on an error, Finger singled up the middle to score Boccio and Neumann led 7-5 going into the bottom of the ninth.
Neumann (3-2) will next hit the field on Tuesday afternoon for their home-opener as they'll host Eastern University. First pitch from Bruder Baseball Field is scheduled for 3:30 PM.
