Penn State Completes the Sweep with a 14-13 Nail-biter
Whole lot of offense in this series finale. Carl Motts took the hill for the third game of the series and got an early lead from a Pat Lucas monster sac fly to the short stop. WVU came back strong and scored two in the bottom half of the inning, putting PSU down for the first time in the series. Apparently that did not sit well with the offense as they exploded for 6 in the top of the 2nd inning, thanks to a sac fly from Melaugh, an RBI single from Klein, a 2run single from Monny, and a 2 run home run from Chambers. With a 13-3 lead in the bottom of the 6th, West Virginia was able to score two runs to avoid another mercy rule. Penn State added one in the 7th to take a 14-3 lead heading into the bottom of the last inning. West Virginia fought and scrapped for this game as they kept hitting and working walks. The Mountaineers were able to put up 8 in the inning, as David Pyles closed it down with a 2 pitch, one out save. Penn State took the game 14-13 with help from Monahan and Chambers who had 3 hit games, Lovecchio and Ross who had two hits a piece, and Bednarzyk who added three runs after working multiple walks. Carl Motts ended up going 5 strong innings allowing 3 earned runs as he picked up the win in an important sweep of West Virginia.
Nittany Lions Take Game 1 in a 10-0 Mercy Rule Victory, Game 2 8-5
Penn State came ready to play against their conference rival West Virginia. Sophomore pitcher Mark Grassie took the mound and was absolutely dominant from beginning to end. Grassie allowed only two hits and did not walk a batter in his 5 inning shut out victory and also added 4 k's to his line. In addition to that great line, he managed to throw only 49 pitches throughout the length of the game. Offensively, Penn State began to hit the ball solidly and in key situations consistently. Ben Chambers led the offense going 3-3 with a HBP, two doubles, and two RBIs. Pat Lucas, David Lovecchio, and Alex Klein all added two hits a piece and Brendan Monahan scored three runs at the top of the order. Senior Ryan Melaugh doubled his hit total for the year recording an unfathomable single in the top of the 4th inning, raising his batting average momentarily to the ever deviant .100 mark. By scoring 4 in the top of the 5th, Penn State was able to take care of WVU in 5 innings for a final of 10-0.
Game two rolled around and the PSBC bats were still hot. After two walks to Monahan (Monny) and Chambers, Pat Lucas went ya-ya to left center field for a 3 run shot. Penn State added another one in the inning to take a commanding 4-0 lead. WVU saw a familiar face on the mound, as starter from game 1, Grassie, was back on the hill due to the low pitch count. The Mountaineers had better success this time around, touching Grassie up for 3 runs in 1+ innings of work. Frank Szubra relieved Grassie and threw 6 innings out of the pen. In the top of the 3rd, Pete Ross hit an RBI double to increase the Lions cushion to 2 runs. Penn State got more insurance runs in the top of the fifth from a 2 out, 2 run double by catcher Kevin Bednarzyk, who later hit a bombski of his own in the top of the 7th. Szubra allowed 2 runs over six innings of work and recorded the 8-5 victory to ensure Penn State the series win.
PSBC D2 Suffers First Loss Since 2010
For the first time in PSBC D2 history, the squadron took on the challenge of playing a division 1 team. On Easter/Master's Sunday, D1 Cincinnati took on the Nittany Lions, who were looking to prove they had the potential to compete with division 1 teams. Bryan Artfitch got the start, and shut them down for the first two innings, but the Bearcats pitcher was able to do the same. In the top of the third, Artfitch and the Penn State team were the victim of a tough hop as a single hit a patch of grass in the outfield and scooted by the right fielder, turning the single into a triple. A couple more hits from Cinci gave them a 4-0 lead after 2 and a half. In the bottom half of the inning, PSU scored one off of a Chambers RBI single that knocked in Klein. Peter Racioppo saw his first action of the season as he relieved Artfitch in the top of the 4th, in which Cinci added another run. Pat Lucas singled home Klein in the bottom of the 5th to make it 5-2 and keep PSU within striking distance. In the top of the 6th, with one out and a runner on first, Penn State was again a victim of one of the worst bounces since the early 1930s according to Elias Sports Bureau. On a taylor made double play grounder that would have ended the inning, the ball hit the ramp that is the lip of the infield and shot 3 feet over SS Ryan Melaugh's head. After that, Cinci got 4 straight hits and added 5 runs to put Penn State in a 10-2 hole. Penn State fought back with help from Klein who added 3 RBIs, but ultimately fell 10-6 in a winnable game that got away from them.
Penn State Takes All 3 From Georgia Gwinnett College
I apologize for the delay in getting these write-ups in, shockingly, I do have other things to do in my life. In the first night game of the season, Carl Motts took the hill against GGC, who traversed the east coast for 14 hours to play the defending National Champions. Motts came out strong with a 1-2-3 inning, giving the offense the opportunity to gain an early lead. The lions did just that, with an RBI double from Chambers and an RBI single from Andre Hayden, PSBC took a 2-0 lead that they never let up. The Grizzlies got one back in the top of the second, but Penn State came back with two of their own on a sac fly from Chris Frande and an RBI single from Klein. That is all the runs Motts needed as he threw a complete game yielding 6 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 8. Penn State took game one 6-2, scoring on Monahan and Chambers RBI's in the 4th and 6th innings.
I guess it's true what they say, you do learn something new everyday. During game two, we found out that Grizzlies are absolutely frightened of Zebras. Rookie pitcher Frank Szubra provided a solid start and the Penn State offense did just enough to get by. Just like Motts the night before, Szubra threw up a 0 in the first, and the top of the lineup took a lead in the bottom half of the inning. Klein, Monahan, and Chambers went walk, triple, single, respectively, and put up a 2 spot to give Szubra the lead. Szubra went the distance while striking out 8 and did not let up a run until the top of the 6th. That run brought the game to a scary 3-1. In the bottom half of the inning, Lucas and Bednasty led off with back to back singles, and both scored to make it 5-1, which eventually was the final score.
To complete the sweep, Penn State sent rookie frosh Ryan DeJesso to the hill. DeJesso found himself in a lot of deep counts and jams early in the game. JeDesso worked out of a bases loaded jam in the first inning and the third, allowing only one run. He ultimately threw three and a third innings giving up two runs, only one earned, while striking out three. The bats woke up in the third in a 1-1 game when Brendan Monahan hit a lead off homerun. That dinger seemed to rattle GGC as multiple errors immediately followed it, yielding another two runs that inning. David Pyles came out of the pen with the bases loaded and got out of the jam runless. In relief, Pyles threw three and two thirds scoreless innings to preserve the victory. Penn State added four in the 5th thanks to singles from Ross and Gojkovich, an RBI double from Frande, and a two run BOMB from Alex Klein. Penn State swept the Grizzlies to continue their winning streak to 27 straight games.
To complete the sweep, Penn State sent rookie frosh Ryan DeJesso to the hill. DeJesso found himself in a lot of deep counts and jams early in the game. JeDesso worked out of a bases loaded jam in the first inning and the third, allowing only one run. He ultimately threw three and a third innings giving up two runs, only one earned, while striking out three. The bats woke up in the third in a 1-1 game when Brendan Monahan hit a lead off homerun. That dinger seemed to rattle GGC as multiple errors immediately followed it, yielding another two runs that inning. David Pyles came out of the pen with the bases loaded and got out of the jam runless. In relief, Pyles threw three and two thirds scoreless innings to preserve the victory. Penn State added four in the 5th thanks to singles from Ross and Gojkovich, an RBI double from Frande, and a two run BOMB from Alex Klein. Penn State swept the Grizzlies to continue their winning streak to 27 straight games.
THE BATS WAKE UP AS PSBC SWEEPS ST. FRANCIS - IMPROVE TO 6-0
The offense was strong early and often on the Sunday finale versus Saint Francis. Klein and Monahan hit back-to-back singles to begin the inning and was followed with a Chambers base on balls. Christian Radick hit a sac fly to drive in the first run of the game, but was out done by a 2-RBI triple by David Lovecchio, who later scored on an error. Up 4-0, Penn State knew they were in good shape with Sophmore pitcher David Pyles on the bump. Pyles' stuff was on point all day and Saint Francis was having difficulties getting base runners. Pyles struck out seven over six innings and only allowed two hits after throwing five and two thirds of hitless ball in his complete game shut out. In the bottom of the second, the top of the order did what they have been doing all year; getting on base and producing runs. The Petest Ross that I've seen thus far knocked in Klein with an RBI single and was followed up by a two out, two RBI triple (error?) by Radick to give the Lions a 7-0 lead. Penn State ended up with a 10-0 mercy rule victory in 6 innings. The other runs came from another Loveck triple which was followed by an Andre Hayden double, and later in the 6th, a Lucas single followed by another Hayden RBI. Now at 6-0, Penn State faces some stiff competition this weekend as Georgia Gwinnett College makes a trip to play the undefeated Nittany lions for 3 games, and Division 1 Cincinnati comes to play for one game on Easter/Master's Sunday.
LIONS TAKE TWO CLOSE ONES ON SATURDAY VS ST. FRANCIS
After a weekend of rain that forced 3 rainouts versus Robert Morris, Penn State D2 took the field against Saint Francis, as the rain held off enough to get the games in. Bryan Arrarrarrtfitch got the start and looked great from beginning to end. Artfitch threw a complete game shut out, logging five strikeouts while only letting up three hits. With some help from St. Francis, Penn State scored in the bottom of the first to give Artfitch an early lead. The Nittany Lions would extend their lead in the bottom of the third. Klein started the inning with a one out single, followed by back to back 2-out doubles by Chambers and Lucas. Those runs would ultimately be the final runs scored in the game as the offense struggled to get going early in game one. Penn state won the first half of the double header 3-0.
Game two rolled around and the Lions did not show up to play. Sloppy errors, mental mistakes, and the lack of timely hitting were the theme of this game. Mark Grassie took the hill and was the victim of a couple of errors in the first inning, leading to one unearned run, as Saint Francis took an early 1-0 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, Klein led off with a double, followed by a Monahan RBI single. Penn State tacked on one more in the inning to go up 2-1. Both teams went down in order in the second inning. Top 3 and Penn State let up the lead after a couple hits and another error that allowed a run. Saint Francis put up a three-spot in the inning and regained the lead, going up 4-2. Gojkovich singled and later scored in the fourth to cut the Lions defecit in half. Grassie shut down Saint Francis for the remainder of the game, giving the offense the opportunity to mount a comeback. Penn State got one back to tie it up in the fifth thanks to multiple pass balls. They had plenty of opportunities to score in the bottom of the 6th to take the lead going into the final inning, but failed to get a run across the plate. However, in the bottom of the seventh, Penn State was able to pull out a victory. With the bases loaded, Freshman Chris Frande worked to count, fouled a few balls off and ultimately walked to force in the winning run. With a final of 5-4, Penn State was able to overcome their on the field troubles to get the victory.
PENN STATE COMPLETES THE SWEEP OF CAL U PA WITH AN 18-10 VICTORY
Loveck hits a grand slam in the 1st.
After two wins on Saturday, Penn State D2 had to come back strong on Sunday to complete the 3 game sweep. Sophomore rookie Frank "Zebra" Szubra got the nod in the series finale. Szubra k'd the first batter her saw as a PSBC pitcher, and got out of the first inning unscathed, allowing only one walk. Penn State came up in the top of the 1st looking to continue the offensive dominance they ended with in game 2. They took advantage of a couple of gifts - an error, two walks, and two hit batsman- gave David "Loveck" Lovecchio the opportunity to show off his hard work over the off season (since you can't see the results). Penn State had a 2-0 lead when Lovecchio came to the plate. After fighting off a couple of pitches, Loveck rocked the pay-off pitch for a grandslam. The offense kept pressing, as PSBC took a 10-0 lead going into the 4th inning. However, Cal U was not about to roll over, as they put up 8 runs in the top of the 4th. With all the confidence in the world, Cal U took the field to stop the PSBC offense, but the Nittany Lions would not slow down as they put up a 7 spot in the bottom half of the 4th. Szubra bounced back in the 5th inning, and with the help of a diving play by Andre Hayden, took out Cal U 1-2-3. Rookie junior Bryan Artfitch threw the last two innings, allowing 2 runs in the first of those, but settled in and looked good in a 1-2-3 7th inning to close out the game. Lovecchio ended the game with 6 rbi, Klein with a pair of hits and 2 rbi, rookie Christian Radick had 2 rbi after getting drilled 4 out of 5 at bats. PSBC took game 3 18-10 to complete the sweep.
PSBC TAKES BOTH IN THE DOUBLE HEADER TO KICK OFF THE 2012 SEASON
Grassie throws a CG shutout.
Penn State did not come out of the gates roaring this year as it took them a couple of innings to get a hit on the board. Luckily they had the services of starter Mark Grassie, who threw an gem in the first game of the season. Grassie, sporting his new number 2, ended up with a complete game shut up while only yielding three hits and added three strike outs. It wasn't until the 3rd inning, when Ben Chambers ripped a ball that dribbled past the pitcher, too the short stop, and with his lightning speed, beat the throw for PSBC's first Ghit. The lions scored one in the fourth, and then two in the fifth behind a Chambers RBI double and a couple of Cal U mistakes. With a trio of stolen bases between Alex Klein and Alex Gojkovich, Penn State was put in a position to tack on two more in the 6th to give Grassie all the cushion he needed to complete the game. PSBC took game 1 5-0.
Chambers knocks a grand slam in the 2nd
Game two was a completely different game. Senior Carl Motts took the hill and was greeted by a very excited and feisty Cal U team. After a leadoff walk, Motts gave up a two-run home run, and just like that PSBC D2 was faced with their first deficit of the year. If we learned one thing from last year, it's that being down in a game does not phase this team at all. Klein led off with a walk, Freshman Brendan Monahan followed with a single, and Chambers again hits an RBI double. Motts settled in and did not allow another run for the rest of his outing, as he finished 5 innings allowing only 3 hits while striking out 4. Penn State came out with a purpose in the bottom of the second: capture the lead and do not give it back. With no out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, Ben. Cham. Burrs. strolled to the plate. On the second pitch, he took Cal U yard for a grand slam and proved that BBCOR's have nothing on him. The top of the lineup was relentless as leadoff batter Alex Klein was on base all 5 times with a single and four walks, the 2 batter Monahan was on base four out of five times, and Chambers went 3-4 with 7 rbi, 2 doubles, and a dinger. Freshman pitcher Ryan Dejesso saw his first PSBC action in the 6th inning. Dejesso yielded two quick runs but rebounded very nicely and enduced a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. PSBC took game 2 14-4 in six innings.