Baseball Splits with Brandywine in Florida Opener
DAVENPORT, Fla. – The Penn State Altoona baseball team began its week of competition in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Saturday, facing off against Penn State Brandywine in a doubleheader at Northeast Regional Park.
The Lions (1-3) picked up their first win of the season in game one, coming back from a two-run deficit to prevail 3-2. But Brandywine (3-4) bounced back in a big way in game two, overpowering Penn State Altoona 15-1.
Game One: Penn State Altoona 3, Penn State Brandywine 2
Brandywine broke a scoreless tie when it plated two runs in the bottom of the fourth. But Penn State Altoona responded quickly, tying the game in the top of the fifth and then jumping ahead with a run in the sixth. The Lions kept Brandywine off the scoreboard the rest of the way, allowing just five hits and one walk in the victory.
Eric Seick (Mount Laurel, NJ/Camden Catholic) started on the mound and finished with a no-decision, going 3 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs, and striking out one batter. Michael Tedrick (Plum, PA/Plum) tossed 3 2/3 innings in relief to pick up his first collegiate win, yielding only one hit and one walk while striking out three.
At the plate, Ethan Bojko (Chester Springs, PA/Downingtown East) hit 2-for-3 with a walk and three stolen bases, tying the Lions' single-game steals record, and Zach Ingold (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) was 2-for-4 with a walk.
Brandywine drew first blood in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jason Hankins delivered a sacrifice fly to drive in the day's first run, and Will Collison scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
Penn State Altoona answered in the next half-inning to knot the score at 2-2. Jonathan Rauch (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) drew a one-out walk, then moved up to third base after a balk and a wild pitch. In the next at-bat, Judd Dasso (Brentwood, TN/Brentwood) reached on a fielding error, and Rauch scored to put the Lions on the board. Later in the frame, Dasso scored on another Brandywine fielding error to make it 2-2.
Penn State Altoona took the lead in the top of the sixth, when David Wignot (Charlotte, NC/Lake Norman Charter) drew a bases-loaded walk to bring Devin Colón (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) home and make it 3-2.
The Lions made their one-run lead stand up the rest of the way, limiting Brandywine to just one baserunner over their last two innings.
Game Two: Penn State Brandywine 15, Penn State Altoona 1
The Lions scored the game's first run in the bottom of the second inning, but Brandywine tied the game in the fourth, then broke it open with a five-run fifth and a nine-run seventh.
Owen Dombrosky (Hollidaysburg, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle), Benjamin Ettien (Media, PA/Penncrest), Cole Strick (Windber, PA/Windber), Ingold, and Rauch each had one hit apiece for Penn State Altoona.
Rauch toed the rubber for game two and pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Sean Wing (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) followed with 2 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, and Daniel Ditterline (Collegeville, PA/Spring-Ford) finished off the last 2 1/3 innings of the game.
Penn State Altoona made it 1-0 in the bottom of the second, when Ettien led off with an infield hit and later scored on a throwing error.
The Lions maintained their slim advantage until the top of the fifth, when Brandywine put five runs on the board, including back-to-back home runs from Ryan Snyder and Nate Romberger. Brandywine tacked nine more runs onto its total in the seventh, finishing with a lopsided victory over the Lions.
Penn State Altoona baseball returns to action tomorrow, Sunday, March 8, with a doubleheader against The College of St. Scholastica at Northeast Regional Park's Field 2. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 4 p.m.
