PITTSBURGH, Pa. – La Roche baseball hosted Alfred State in the regular season finale on Senior Day, with a playoff spot on the line. In game one, it was all Pioneers, winning 10-1, then in game two the Redhawks pulled through with timely hitting and a stellar pitching performance to clinch a postseason bid with a 4-1 win.
GAME ONE: Alfred State 10 La Roche 1
Alfred State set the tone right away in game one, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning, then added two more in the top of the third to lead 4-0.
La Roche's lone run crossed in the bottom of the third, when Christian Melendez scored on an error.
The Pioneers would tack on two runs in the fifth and four in the sixth to close the scoring.
Larry Bielawski got the start and in three innings allowed four runs, five hits, two walks and struck out three.
Chris Tarquinio, Jamison Rhoades and Jared Hough combined for four innings of relief and allowed six runs, six hits, one walk and fanned three collectively.
Offensively, the Redhawks had four hits in the game with four different batters in the order collecting a single hit.
GAME TWO: La Roche 4 Alfred State 1
Game two was quiet through four innings of play, until Alfred State scored the first run in the top of the fifth with an RBI single.
Bielawski was quick to respond for La Roche, as his two RBI single scored Schmitt and Heyz to make it a 2-1 lead, first of the day for the red and black.
The Redhawks added two insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh, as Dimitri Gary scored Tanner Schmitt with an RBI double, then Bielawski picked up his third RBI of the game with an RBI single to score Gary as the lead moved to 4-1.
Casey Jones threw a complete game gem, allowing just one run, seven hits and struck out nine.
Offensively, the Redhawks had 10 hits, as Bielawski went 3-for-4 (three RBI), with Schmitt and Snyder following with two hits each.
La Roche now prepares for the postseason, as they enter the AMCC Tournament as the #6 seed and travel to Hilbert. A doubleheader will be played on Saturday, May 4 with first pitch at 1 p.m. If necessary, game three will be played on Sunday, May 5.