AUBURNDALE, FLA. - The RIT baseball team took both games of its first doubleheader of the season against Penn State Altoona, Saturday, winning, 5-4, in the opener and 7-3 in game two at Lake Myrtle Park.

In game one, RIT senior third baseman Patrick Blackall went 3-for-4, scoring the winning run, in a 5-4 victory. Sophomore catcher John Bagley went 2-for-3 with one RBI, while senior left fielder Chris Reilly was 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored. RIT junior pitcher Peter Bossinas recorded his first win of the season in relief of senior Jon Opalewski.

Game two saw sophomore pitcher John Arnold throw a complete-game, scattering five hits while striking out nine Nittany Lions. The Tigers got seven runs from nine hits after sophomore second baseman Nate Kistler went 3-for-4 on three doubles with three RBI and three runs and sophomore shortstop Randy Dodig went 2-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored to lead RIT.

GAME 1 – RIT 5, Penn State Altoona 4
RIT broke a 4-4 tie after Reilly's RBI single scored Blackall in the sixth. The Tigers took a 4-0 first-inning lead, but Penn State Altoona responded with three runs in the second. The Nittany Lions tied the game at 4-4 in the fourth before Blackall crossed the plate for the game-winning run.

• RIT took a 4-0 first-inning lead. Senior first baseman Ian Libby scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead. Kistler made it 2-0 after scoring on a failed pick-off attempt. Bagley's RBI single scored Reilly to improve the Tigers' lead to 3-0. Sophomore designated hitter Maxx Countryman completed the first-inning scoring after designated hitter Dodig reached first on an error.
• Penn State Altoona responded with three runs in the second inning to cut RIT's lead to one. Richard Carey's RBI double got the Nittany Lions on the board when Logan Margroun scored. Alex Hlivia's sacrifice fly scored Garret Alauzen to make it a 4-2 score. Grayson McClain's RBI single scored Carey to get Penn State within a run. Penn State Altoona tied the game at 4-4 in the fourth inning after Hlivia crossed the plate from Jake Hillard's groundout.
• Bossinas allowed two hits and one walk in two innings of work. Opalewski surrendered seven hits and four walks with seven strikeouts in the first five innings.

GAME 2 – RIT 7, Penn State Altoona 3
With the game tied at 3-3 after five innings, the Tigers took the lead for good when junior designated hitter Zach Mecca's sacrifice fly scored Kistler for the go-ahead run. Penn State Altoona took a 2-0 first-inning lead before the Tigers responded with three runs in the third. The Nittany Lions tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth. RIT added three runs in the seventh.

• Penn State Altoona got runs from McClain and Phaly Moravek in the first inning to go up 2-0. McClain scored from a Hillard RBI single, while Moravek's run came after Margroun reached first on an error.
• The Tigers took a 3-2 lead in the third. Junior catcher Kyle Poorman scored the first RIT run after a Dodig double and then Dodig crossed the plate after a Libby sacrifice fly. Kistler's first of three doubles scored Blackall for RIT's first lead.
• Penn State Altoona tied the game at 3-3 after Moravek's sacrifice fly scored Anthony Iannizzi in the fifth inning. Kistler started the sixth inning with his second double of the game and scored the game-winning run off Mecca's sac fly before adding his third double in the seventh that brought home Blackall and Dodig. The Tigers got their final run from a Reilly RBI double that scored graduate student outfielder Nic Stagnitta.

 
WHAT'S NEXT
RIT wraps up the weekend against King's (Pa.) on Sunday, March 6 at 9:15 a.m. at Lake Myrtle Park.