Pittsburgh, PA - Chatham Baseball (4-0, 0-0 PAC) hosted Hilbert (0-2, 0-0 AMCC) in their first doubleheader of the 2026 season. The Cougars swept the day, beating the Hawks 5-4 in game one and 11-3 in game two, extending their early-season win streak to four games.
In game one, the Hawks drew first blood. They scored 2 runs in the top half of the 1st thanks to four consecutive hits. The Cougars got 1 run back in the bottom half after Matt Brandt singled and scored on an Angelo DeLeonardis triple. The teams traded zeros for the next two innings before the Cougars tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the 4th. Cooper Baxter led off with a walk, advanced to second on a Hayden Woodward single, and scored on a Devin Fluhmann single. The Cougars went up 3-2 in the bottom of the 5th, but the Hawks stormed back in the top half of the 6th inning to take a slim 4-3 as the teams entered the final inning. In the 7th, DeLeonardis led off with a single. Two batters later, Caleb Jones was hit by a pitch to make it man on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Baxter worked himself into a hitters count and his well-struck triple down the left field line, plating DeLeonardis and pinch runner Evan Swift to clinch the Cougars 5-4 walkoff victory.
Angelo DeLeonardis led the way offensively, going 3-for-4 (2 triples) with 2 runs scored, picking up 1 RBI. Hayden Woodward added 2 hits, while Cooper Baxter added 1 hit with 2 key RBIs and worked a walk. On the mound, Gianni Cantini and Cason Bennett shut down the Hawks' offense over 7 innings. Cantini finished up 4.0 IP with 3 strikeouts, working around 5 hits and 2 earned runs. Bennett earned the win, his 2nd of the season, in 3.0 IP, recording 2 strikeouts and giving up 2 earned runs but stranding the bases loaded in the top of the 7th.
In game two, the Hawks quickly set the tone, scoring 2 runs in the top half of the 1st inning. Regardless, the Cougars quickly responded in the bottom half, taking the 3-2 lead. Two straight triples from Eddie Rueda and DeLeonardis plated 1 run, followed by a Nolan Boehm double and a Baxter triple, which allowed for 2 more runs to cross. The Hawks even the score at 3-3 at the top of the 3rd after the Cougars booted the ball around. Not phased, Chatham answered with 3 in the bottom of the 4th. Baxter led off with a hit-by-pitch, and Woodward followed him up with a single. A sac bunt later set the stage for a Ty Blackburn 2 RBI double to left field. Rueda would add another run on a single later in the same inning. The Cougars offense would catch fire, scoring in three out of the next four innings. They added 2 in the 5th, 2 in the 7th, and 1 in the 8th to put game two out of reach for good.
Eddie Rueda led the way in game two, going 3-for-4 with a triple, 1 run scored, and 3 RBIs. Nolan Boehm added 2 hits, including a double of his own, scoring 2 runs and picking up a walk and an RBI. Ty Blackburn finished up 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs. Matt Bamford earned the win, scattering 8 hits over 5.0 innings of work, picking up 2 strikeouts. Garrett Blosser came out of the pen and shut down the Hawks' offense in his 4.0 efficient innings of work. He held the Hawks hitless, picking up 2 strikeouts and his first career save.
Chatham Baseball returns to action on February 28th against Trine in their first matchup of their Florida Spring Training. First pitch is scheduled for 2 pm. Before heading down for the trip or watching wherever you may be, Chatham Baseball is encouraged to come out and support Men's Basketball and Men's Hockey in their playoff runs this weekend. Men's Basketball hosts Grove City at 7 pm on February 24th, while Men's Hockey hosts Brockport at 5:30 pm on February 25th.
