Baseball Sweeps AMCC Rival Mount Aloysius

Baseball Sweeps AMCC Rival Mount Aloysius

CRESSON, Pa. – Penn State Altoona baseball recorded its second sweep in as many doubleheaders on Thursday afternoon, when it picked up a pair of important Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference wins against local rival Mount Aloysius College at Calandra-Smith Field.

The Lions (12-17, 7-7 AMCC) prevailed 16-8 in game one before posting a 10-7 comeback win in game two to secure their third doubleheader sweep of the season.

"Two huge wins for us today. Our guys are hopefully starting to click at the right time," said Penn State Altoona head coach RJ Barnard. "Two more big games tomorrow, so we need to enjoy these wins tonight but get prepared for Medaille tomorrow."

Dylan Bates (Towanda, PA/Towanda) got the start on the mound in game one and recorded his first career win, allowing five earned runs over five innings while striking out three. Sawyer Kline (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) tossed one scoreless inning with a strikeout, and Hunter Johnson (Shippensburg, PA/Shippensburg) followed with one inning pitched.

Hunter Breon (Boiling Springs, PA/Boiling Springs) went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple, a walk, three runs batted in, and two runs scored. Richard Carey (Milton, DE/Cape Henlopen) also had three RBI, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Catcher Cumming (Altoona, PA/Altoona) was 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, two walks, two stolen bases, and four runs scored. Jim Shomberg (Lansdale, PA/Methacton) finished 2-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and three runs scored, and Peter Jacobs (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West) was 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored.

As a team, Penn State Altoona finished with seven stolen bases, the second-highest total in a single game in Lions baseball history.

After Matt McCourt's two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning put Mount Aloysius (9-22, 6-7 AMCC) on the board, the Lions answered with a four-run top of the second. Carey's RBI single to center put Penn State Altoona on the board, and Breon scored on a passed ball to tie the game. Jacobs' two-run single to right put the Lions up 4-2. In the top half of the third, Chase Clouser (Dublin, OH/Dublin Jerome) stole home to make it 5-2.

McCourt hit his second home run of the game, a three-run shot in the bottom of the third that knotted the score 5-5 for Mount Aloysius.

But Penn State Altoona reclaimed the lead for good in the fifth. Cumming's RBI double to right brought in one run, and he later scored on an error. Carey added another RBI base hit to give his team an 8-5 lead.

The Lions plated four more runs in the sixth. Cumming hit his second RBI double in as many innings to get the scoring started, and Breon's two-run triple made it 11-5. Carey chipped in a sacrifice fly to right to bring home Breon, increasing Penn State Altoona's advantage to 12-5.

The Mounties got a run back in the bottom of the sixth on Jeremy Ielli's run-scoring fielder's choice grounder, but the Lions came back with another four-run inning in the top half of the seventh. After Jacobs scored on a wild pitch, Clouser's double down the left field line drove in another run, and George Stisuo (Milford, NJ/Gill St. Bernard's) picked up an RBI on his groundout to second. Breon's RBI double put Penn State Altoona's lead at 16-6.

The Mounties scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh on Daniel Singe's RBI triple and TJ Wardwell's run-scoring double.

In game two, Penn State Altoona overcame a 5-2 deficit to post a 10-7 win.

Oliver Dailey (Boalsburg, PA/State College) started on the mound and took a no decision. In 5 2/3 innings, the left-hander allowed four earned runs. Tyler Manger (Lindenhurst, NY/Lindenhurst) pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief to pick up his second win of the season, limiting Mount Aloysius to one earned run.

Breon had a big game at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a double, a stolen base, and two runs scored. Sawyer Duffey (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) batted 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, and two runs scored.

Clouser was 2-for-5 with his third home run of the season, an RBI, and three runs scored. Stisuo was 2-for-3 with a run scored, Jacobs was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI, and Austin Anderson (Macungie, PA/Emmaus) went 2-for-5 with a run scored.

Mount Aloysius grabbed a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third when Aaron Shinn stole home and Singe knocked in two more runs with his double to left-center.

Clouser's solo homer in the top of the fourth put the Lions on the board, and Jacobs' RBI double in the fifth cut the Mounties' lead to 3-2. But the home team countered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Singe's RBI single to shortstop plated one run, and he later scored on an outfield error to make it 5-2.

Penn State Altoona rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh. Chris Michaelis (Albany, NY/Albany) drove in one run with his grounder to second, and Duffey's RBI double down the right field line brought in another. Jacobs' RBI single to center tied the score 5-5.

Mount Aloysius went back ahead in the bottom of the seventh on Joe Hudak's run-scoring base hit to center, but Penn State Altoona came back with three runs in the top of the eighth. Clouser scored on an error to tie the score again, and Duffey's sac fly put Penn State Altoona back on top. Breon stole home to make it 8-6.

Ielli's RBI single to right got a run back for Mount Aloysius in the bottom of the eighth, but Jordan McCall (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) added two more runs to the Lions' total in the top of the ninth on his two-run single that made it 10-7.

Penn State Altoona baseball returns to action tomorrow, Friday, April 27, when it hits the road to play AMCC opponent Medaille College for a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader in Buffalo, N.Y.