Baseball Breaks Out Broomsticks, Sweeps Gordon
AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Penn State Altoona baseball team earned its first sweep of the week on Friday, when the Lions defeated Gordon College in both games of a doubleheader at Lake Myrtle Park during the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.
Penn State Altoona (4-6) pulled out a tight 3-2 victory in game one, then held on for a 9-7 win over Gordon (3-6) in game two to post its first sweep in Florida since 2022.
Game One: Penn State Altoona 3, Gordon 2
The Lions used strong pitching and error-free defense to eke out a one-run victory in game one against the Scots.
Andrew Crouse (Mercersburg, PA/James Buchanan) led the way with his first collegiate win and complete game. The right-hander went all seven innings, allowing just two runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out eight batters.
Judd Dasso (Brentwood, TN/Brentwood), Zach Ingold (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin), Jonathan Rauch (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin), and Jarek Szaflarski (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle-Antrim) each had a hit for the Lions, and Ethan Bojko (Chester Springs, PA/Downingtown East), Owen Dombrosky (Hollidaysburg, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle), and Ingold each had an RBI.
Penn State Altoona scored all three of its runs in the bottom of the first inning. Dasso led off with an infield single, and walks by Brian Chelli (West Hartford, CT/Hall) and Rauch loaded the bases with no outs. After a Gordon pitching change, Dombrosky drew a walk to plate the Lions' first run, and Ingold's RBI single through the right side made it 2-0. One batter later, Bojko delivered a sacrifice fly to left that brought home Rauch and increased Penn State Altoona's lead to three.
The Lions put up zeroes until the top of the sixth, when Gordon made it a one-run game. After back-to-back hits started the frame, CJ Massella stole home on a double steal. One batter after that, an RBI double to left from Aaron Ferreira trimmed the Penn State Altoona lead to 3-2.
But the Lions closed the door after that and held on for the game-one victory.
Game Two: Penn State Altoona 9, Gordon 7
The Lions worked their way out to a 9-2 advantage, then fended off a late seventh-inning push from the Scots to prevail by two runs, 9-7.
Dasso and Dombrosky each had a three-hit game for Penn State Altoona. Dasso went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI, three runs scored, and a stolen base. Dombrosky was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI.
Chelli went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two stolen bases. Ingold and Rauch each finished with an RBI.
Eric Seick (Mount Laurel, NJ/Camden Catholic) took the ball for game two and earned his first win of the season, going four innings and limiting Gordon to two runs with one strikeout. Daniel Ditterline (Collegeville, PA/Spring-Ford) tossed 2 2/3 innings in relief, allowing one earned run and striking out one. Szaflarski registered his first collegiate save by getting the game's final out on a strikeout.
The teams traded runs in the first inning, with the Lions going up 1-0 in the top of the inning on a Dombrosky RBI single to center and the Scots answering back with a Carter Shin sac fly in the bottom half.
Penn State Altoona jumped ahead in the next half-inning when it scored three runs with two outs. Dasso's RBI double put the Lions back in front, and he scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1. After that, a Rauch RBI single up the middle increased Penn State Altoona's advantage to 4-1.
Gordon picked up its second run in the bottom of the second on a James Coats RBI single, and the Scots stayed within two, 4-2, of the Lions' lead.
But Penn State Altoona added on in the top of the third, getting two-run doubles by Dasso and Dombrosky to make it 8-2. Ingold's sac fly in the fifth upped the Lions' advantage to 9-2.
Gordon made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh, putting five runs on the board and bringing the potential tying run to the plate. A Tyler Wilson two-run double started the Scots' comeback bid, and a Gabe Fales RBI single made it 9-5. Run-scoring singles from Darren Clarke and Cam Wilbur further whittled away at the Lions' lead, closing the gap to 9-7. But Penn State Altoona escaped the inning without allowing any further damage to wrap up its first sweep of the week.
Next up, Penn State Altoona baseball will wrap up its week in Florida tomorrow, Saturday, March 14, with a pair of nine-inning games at Lake Myrtle Park. The Lions will start their day at 9:45 a.m. against Fredonia State University, then finish the day off against Calvin University at approximately 1:15 p.m.
