HUNTINGDON, Pa. – March 17, 2022 – The Chatham University baseball team held off a furious Juniata rally in what turned out to be one of the highest scoring games in program history, downing the Eagles 16-11 on the road. Chatham's impressive start continues to improve at 6-1.
 
Both teams scored runs in the first, with the Cougars kicking things off with an RBI single by junior Brandon Griener. It was the start of an impressive day for the junior slugger, where he drove in five RBIs in a 3/4 day with two walks. Juniata evened the game in the bottom of the frame.
 
The Cougars then struck for three in the second on a pair of base knocks. Sophomore Dylan Vogel laced an RBI single to right field while senior Caleb Lehman drove in two on a base hit the opposite direction. The Cougar bats laid silent for the next three innings, holding a 4-2 lead through five.
 
In the sixth and seventh innings, the Cougar bats came alive for five runs apiece in each. It began with an E6 bringing in the first score, then a SAC fly by Lehman scoring the sixth. Then Griener blasted a three-run dinger to put the Cougars ahead by seven. The seventh saw a quartet of RBI situations, three singles and a SAC fly. Sophomore Frankie DeLuca and Griener each drove in one off a pair of singles while senior Nico Cuello brought home a duo of runs. Lehman added his second SAC fly in as many innings.
 
In the eighth, the game was seemingly out of reach and the Cougars only added some extra cushion. First-year Brady Wingeart drove in an RBI single and later scored on a wild pitch to make the score 16-2. It seemed as if the Cougars could do no wrong at the time, that was until the ninth. The Eagles scored eight times in the final inning, but the Cougars had the wherewithal to end the game at 16-11.
 
The Chatham bats were on point from start to finish, thwacking 18 hits, almost entirely singles. Six different Cougars notched multiple base hits, with first-year Tyler Cote leading the way with a 4-for-6 day. Griener and senior Luke Paulson each had a trio of hits, while Cuello, Lehman and DeLuca knocked a pair. Paulson, Cuello, DeLuca and Vogel each crossed home plate three times.
 
The Cougars utilized a deep pitching rotation to get past the Eagles. Senior Ryan Denz started the game and threw the first inning. Then first-year Drew Schreck notched his first collegiate win in a 3.0 inning performance in which he struck out a pair. He was relieved by senior Mason Akers, who fanned a quartet of Eagles. Junior JJ Shibest pitched the eighth while first-year Kole Mayle and Cote finished out the contest.
 
Chatham travels to Penn State Altoona for a non-conference double header beginning at 1:00 on Sunday, March 20.