TUCSON, Ariz. – The Macalester College baseball team kicked off the 2019 season at the Tucson Invitational with a doubleheader against Allegheny College on Saturday at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Scots exploded for 17 runs in Game 1 for a 17-1 victory before falling in Game 2, 6-2.

In the team's first action outdoors this year, Macalester tallied four runs in the bottom of the first inning, including a two-run single by sophomore Leonardo Bucello (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson). Senior Graham Low (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont) drove in a run in the second, and the Scots scored twice in the fourth for a 7-0 lead. Meanwhile, junior right-hander Matthew Plisko (Alpharetta, Ga./Pace Academy) was dominating the Allegheny batters, blanking the Gators over five innings while allowing just one hit and one walk. The two-time All-MIAC pitcher fanned nine of the 17 batters he faced.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Scots sent 15 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs on six hits and two errors. Bucello and juniors Carl Francalangia (West Hartford, Conn./The Loomis-Chaffee School) and Alex Bearden (St. Louis, Mo./Mary Institute Country Day) each delivered two-run hits in the inning. For the game, seven Scots had at least two hits, with Low going 3-for-3 and senior Sam Goldberg (North Potomac, Md./Thomas S. Wootton) going 3-for-5. Bucello notched five runs batted in and had two hits, along with Francalangia, Bearden, senior Jared Abelson (Herndon, Va./South Lakes) and first year Michael Helton (Laguna Beach, Calif./Sage). First year pitcher Louis Silverman (New York City, N.Y./Bronx HS of Science) pitched two innings of relief and allowed an unearned run on one hit and two walks while striking out two.

In the second game the Macalester bats were much quieter, managing just two runs on seven hits compared to 17 hits in Game 1. The game was scoreless until the fifth inning, when first year Soren Roe (Golden Valley, Minn./The Blake School) singled home first year Lian Lincoln (Anchorage, Alaska/South Anchorage) for a 1-0 lead. But the Gators struck for six runs on three hits, four walks and an error in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Scots loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, scoring a run on a walk by sophomore Matt Polemeni-Hegarty (Goldens Bridge, N.Y./John Jay). But Allegheny pitcher Jarod Deagan struck out the final batter to end the game.

Sophomore pitcher Will Madairy (Charlotte, N.C./Providence Day School) turned in a solid start, limiting the Gators to two hits and two walks while striking out four in five scoreless innings. Lincoln delivered a pair of hits to lead the offense.

Macalester plays Buena Vista University on Sunday, Mar. 17 at the Tucson Invitational. The game starts at 10:00 a.m. Pacific at Kino Sports Complex Field No. 4.