BETHANY, W.Va. - The Bethany College baseball team hosted Senior Day as they swept the Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio) in a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader by final scores of 9-8 and 18-1 at Bethany Park.
Prior to the game, Bethany honored seniors
Izek Baldwin (Parkersburg, W.Va.),
Chad Behrendt (Monongahela, Pa./Ringgold),
Payton Davis (Canton, Ohio/Malvern),
Reece Henderson (Franklin, Pa./Rocky Grove),
Ethan McHugh (Brilliant, Ohio/Buckeye Local),
Jaden Nestor-Fox (Vermilion, Ohio),
Sonny Peluchette (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Central Catholic),
Keith Smith (Braceville, Ohio/LeBrae),
Devin Toothman (East Liverpool, Ohio), and
Payton Zupko (Mineral Ridge, Ohio).
Game 1
At the Plate
- Senior Academic All-PAC first baseman Reece Henderson (Franklin, Pa./Rocky Grove) celebrated Senior Day with a bang by launching his first two career home runs for two RBI
- Senior All-PAC second baseman Jaden Nestor-Fox (Vermilion, Ohio) collected two hits and two RBI including the 11th-inning walk-off walk
- Sophomore designated hitter Marco Gonzalez (Oviedo, Fla.) also went 2-for-4 with two runs driven in
- Senior left fielder Devin Toothman (East Liverpool, Ohio) finished 2-for-3 with a double and three stolen bases
- Sophomore center fielder Niko Heidt (San Diego, Calif./Monte Vista) stayed hot from the lead-off spot going 3-for-5 with a double
- Senior catcher Payton Davis (Canton, Ohio/Malvern) notched an RBI on his Senior Day with a double down the line in the fourth
On the Mound
- Senior right-hander Payton Zupko (Mineral Ridge, Ohio) got the start and escaped with no decision after holding the Barons to five runs on eight hits and striking out six batters through five innings
- Freshman right-hander Dominic Fry (Caldwell, Ohio) limited the Franciscan offense to one earned run through two innings where he had one strikeout
- Senior All-PAC right-hander Sonny Peluchette (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Central Catholic) pitched the final four frames where he did not give up an earned run and struck out two to earn the win
Game 2
At the Plate
- Entering Wednesday with no home runs in his career, Heidt belted two to finish with three RBI
- Toothman had a team-best four RBI thanks to a three-run pump and an RBI single
- Senior Academic All-PAC first baseman Ethan McHugh (Brilliant, Ohio/Buckeye Local) went a perfect 2-for-2 and drove in two runs
- Junior Academic All-PAC third baseman Gian DeGenova (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) also had a multi-hit game that included an RBI single
- Gonzalez drove in two on a deep sac fly to right and added a base hit
- Freshman catcher Kolton Smittle (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) added a two-run double
- Senior shortstop Chad Behrendt (Monongahela, Pa./Ringgold) and Nestor-Fox each had a sixth-inning base hit to bring in the last two Bison runs
On the Mound
- Gonzalez was lights out after allowing only one run on one hit through six innings all while striking out six different Barons for his fifth win of the year
- Davis made his pitching debut in the seventh where he faced five batters and closed out the Bison's run-rule victory
The Bison are back in action Sunday, April 26 as they host a non-conference game against The College of Wooster (Ohio) at 1 p.m. at Bethany Park.
