WASHINGTON - Sophomore Johnathan Guerrero (Indio, Calif.) stood calmly in the left side of the batter's box in the bottom of the ninth inning on a blustery and chilly Sunday afternoon at Hoy Field. Guerrero was up with two outs and two runners on in a tied 14-14 game between Gallaudet University and Penn St.-Berks in the third game of the United East Conference baseball weekend series. Guerrero turned into a hero when he took a Kolbie Reeser (0-2) pitch the opposite way into left field as freshman speedster Brandon Washington (Citronelle, Ala.) raced home from second base to secure the 15-14 walk-off win for the Bison.

Guerrero's one swing erased the demons of the previous 18 contests against Penn St.-Berks as the Gallaudet bench sprinted onto the field to mob Guerrero around second base as the Bison celebrated the victory. This was GU's first win over the Nittany Lions in 19 tries, the last win Gallaudet celebrated over Penn St.-Berks came on April 19, 2014, also a one-run game (3-2) on the road. GU's last home win over Penn St.-Berks came a year prior on April 21, 2013, in another one-run game, 6-5.

In fact, there have been 10 one-run games in the 36-game Gallaudet-Penn St.-Berks series and two of them took place on Sunday. 

In the first game, Gallaudet (7-14, 1-2 United East) scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning against Penn St.-Berks (3-7, 2-1 United East) and had the bases loaded before a ground ball hit a Bison runner going from second to third base for the automatic out to end the game as the Nittany Lions held on to win, 3-2.

Freshman Brandon Drolsbaugh (Lansdale, Pa.) pitched well for the Bison in the first game as he went the distance to earn a complete game as he struck out five batters in seven innings pitched. 

In the second game, GU jumped all over Penn St.-Berks starting pitcher Anthony Carpenter as the Bison scored eight runs on eight hits and three walks as Carpenter exited in the third inning. The Bison scored two more times to take a 10-1 lead after three.

The score remained the same until the fifth when the Nittany Lions took advantage of several Bison errors and scored five times on only two hits. 

GU got a run back in the bottom of the fifth before Penn St.-Berks scored five unanswered runs to take a 12-11 lead in the eighth inning. 

The Bison didn't back down and rallied themselves to score three runs in the bottom of the eighth on three hits to take a 14-12 lead into the ninth. 

The Nittany Lions were down to their last out when Bison relief pitcher Darren Drolsbaugh (Lansdale, Pa.) walked a batter and then coughed up a double to put runners on second and third base. Joey McGann came through with the clutch two-run single to center field to tie the game at 14. 

That set the scene for Guerrero and his heroics in the bottom half of the ninth.

The Bison, just like the Nittany Lions, were down to their last out in the ninth when Reeser walked Washington and Darren Drolsbaugh to put runners on first and second.

Guerrero then came to the plate and the rest is history. 

UP NEXT
Gallaudet will next travel to Williamsport, Pa., on Friday, March 24, to begin a three-game United East series with Penn College (6-7, 2-1 United East).