DANVILLE, Va. – The Alma College baseball team kicked off their 2023 campaign on Wednesday, February 15th. The Scots traveled to Virginia to play a doubleheader against Averett University on a sunny midweek afternoon. Alma fell to Averett in the first game 3-2 in walk off fashion and tied the Cougars in the second contest after going to extra innings but the game was ruled complete due to darkness. This is the first tie for the Scots since 1997.

In the first game, the pitchers were the stars of the show as both teams were kept off the board until the third when Alma broke the ice. In the top of the inning, Cameron Bleasdale singled up the middle with one out to get on base. Kevin Tuttle followed and singled to center field putting runners on the corners. Ethan Krafft hit a sacrifice fly out to right field and Bleasdale would score giving the Scots the first lead of the game.

Averett added a run in the fourth and fifth innings to take their first lead of the game, 2-1. Alma looked to respond in the sixth inning as Avery Carnicom led off the inning with a walk, in which Mitch Foley was called in to pinch run. Foley took advantage of the opportunity and stole second, putting himself into scoring position. Foley advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Kyler Warren. Foley was sent home on a balk call and tied the game for Alma. Averett ended up putting two runners on in the bottom of the seventh inning in which a late game double provided enough to be a walk off win for the Cougars.

Starting pitcher, Tyler Johnson threw for six and two-thirds innings and recorded 14 strikeouts while on the mound. Johnson's 14 K's put his name into the Alma record book, tying for sixth all-time in single game strikeouts. Johnson also only allowed three hits over the contest and three earned runs. 

After dropping the first, Alma looked to leave Danville with a win and started the second seven-inning game on the right track. Leading off, Tuttle reached first on an error and Bleasdale walked, putting two runners on. Carnicom picked up where he left off last season and took a ball to deep left field over the fence for a three-run homerun giving the Scots a lead. The Scots found themselves stagnant the next several innings as the Cougars added a run in the second, third and fourth to tie the game.

In the top of the fifth, Tuttle led off the inning being hit by a pitch, putting himself on base. Carnicom took advantage of the runner on base and connected on a pitch to double to deep left field sending Tuttle across home. Warren followed behind with a walk which set up Nolan Chilcutt to single up the middle and send Carnicom home. Warren would then score as Chilcutt was caught stealing and the Scots left the inning with a 6-4 lead.

Averett continued fighting from behind and added three runs in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead, 7-6. In the sixth, Alma scored with a bases loaded walk to tie the game heading into the final inning. After both teams did not score in the seventh inning, the game went into extras. In the eighth, Tuttle singled up the middle to kick off the inning before Carnicom and Warren drew walks which loaded the bases. Chilcutt wore an inside pitch that caught a piece of him to give the lead to Alma, 8-7. Averett battled back from another deficit and tied the game before it was ultimately called due to darkness.

Alma will now travel to Methodist University to take part in the Diamond Invitational in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Alma will play next on Thursday, February 16th, as they take on Methodist. The first game of the doubleheader will begin at 5 PM.

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Story Credit: Eli Pinter, Sports Information Intern