BETHANY, W.Va. - The Bethany College baseball team swept the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford (Pa.) in the 2026 season opener and a non-conference doubleheader by final scores of 5-2 and 7-3 at Bethany Park.

Game 1
Scoring Plays

• Bottom 4th -  Junior third baseman Evan Hegarty (Poland, Ohio/Poland Seminary) collected his first hit as a Bison in a big way with a solo home run to cut into the Pitt-Bradford lead
• Bottom 4th - Senior All-PAC right-hander Sonny Peluchette (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Central Catholic) lifted a sac fly to right field to drive in one run, but an errant throw led to the go-ahead for Bethany
• Bottom 5th - Sophomore center fielder Niko Heidt (San Diego, Calif./Monte Vista) drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the Bison lead
• Bottom 5th - Another Panther error gave Bethany a three-run lead with two innings to play

At the Plate

• Hegarty, Peluchette, and Heidt all finished with a hit and an RBI
• Senior All-PAC second baseman Jaden Nestor-Fox (Vermilion, Ohio) and sophomore right fielder Marco Gonzalez (Oviedo, Fla.) each swiped a bag on the basepaths

On the Mound

• Peluchette got the starting nod on Opening Day and finished with four strikeouts and gave up only four hits in six innings of work to finish with no earned runs and the victory
• Senior right-hander Payton Zupko (Mineral Ridge, Ohio) got the save as he shut down the Panthers in the final inning with two strikeouts

Game 2
Scoring Plays

• Bottom 1st - Junior Academic All-PAC first baseman Gian DeGenova (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) put the Bison on the board first with a solo shot to left center
• Bottom 3rd - DeGenova added two more RBI with a double down the line
• Bottom 3rd - A Pitt-Bradford failed pickoff led to another run for the Green and White
• Bottom 3rd - Freshman catcher Kolton Smittle (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) put the ball in play as another Panther mishap handed Bethany a run
• Bottom 4th - Senior left fielder Devin Toothman (East Liverpool, Ohio) drove in two insurance runs with his third hit of the day

At the Plate

• DeGenova finished a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored
• Toothman collected two hits, two RBI, and two stolen bases

On the Mound

• Gonzalez received the win in his collegiate pitching debut where he struck out five and allowed two earned runs on four hits and a walk through four innings
• Sophomore right-hander Billy Sloan (North Jackson, Ohio/Jackson-Milton) got the three-inning save where he struck out four of his 11 batters faced

The Bison are back in action Saturday, February 21 as they take on Pitt-Bradford in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. at Bethany Park.