Hampden-Sydney, VA—Penn State Harrisburg was unable to get things going offensively on Sunday against Hampden-Syndey College. In the two losses, the Lions combined for only 10 hits and three runs, while the Tigers combined for 19 runs on 22 hits. Here's how things played out:
Game 1
Top 3 – After being held hitless in the first two frames, Penn State Harrisburg was the first to get on the board. With two outs in the inning, Scott Angstadt Jr. smacked a double that landed far enough in the outfield to bring Justin O'Dell all the way home from first base. Tom Denniston followed it up with an RBI single in the next at-bat, putting the Lions ahead 2-0
Bottom 3 – Hampden Sydney was able to cut the lead in half. With two outs, starting pitcher Travis VanHouten issued a walk to Tigers leadoff hitter Shane Arceo. In the next at-bat, Arceo was able to steal second base before Moe Gothe pushed him home with a single. It would become the only run allowed in VanHouten's first start of the season.
Bottom 6 – With one out and a man on third, Tyler Blevins smacked a single off of Lions reliever Brendan Riotto to pull the game even, 2-2.
Bottom 7 – With the game still tied, the Blue and White allowed a single, double, and an intentional walk to load the bases with only one out for Hampden Syndey. In the following at-bat, Moe Gothe was able to come through and hit a walk-off single for the Tigers.
Final Score: Penn State Harrisburg 2 Hampden-Sydney 3
WP: Celata (1-0) LP: Riotto (0-2)
Standout Players:
Travis VanHouten: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
Justin O'Dell: 2-2, R
Game 2
Bottom 1 – With one away and men on third and first, the Tigers' Tyler Blevins drove in a run on a single. In the next at-bat, Ryan Peevey was thrown out on a grounder to second base that allowed another run to score. 2-0 Tigers.
Bottom 2 – Things got ugly for Penn State Harrisburg in this frame, which saw them yield a whopping 10 runs for Hampden-Sydney, putting this game out of reach early. Lions Starter Bobby Patterson was unable to shake off the rust and find the corners of the zone when he needed to. Ryan Hammond was sent in to relive him after five of the runs had crossed the plate. Hammond also struggled to get his pitches past the Tigers' bats, allowing another five runs to cross home plate, all of which were unearned due to a fielding error with two outs that kept the inning alive. 12-0 Tigers.
Bottom 3 – With the game seemingly already out of reach, Coach Bown opted to substitute a number of his starters. Just Kaplan replaced Hammond on the mound, but the struggles continued for the Lions pitching staff, as another four runs would cross home plate before the end of the frame. 16-0 Tigers.
Top 7 – The Lions managed to find a way to avoid the shut out in the final frame. With one out and men on third and first, Jackson Struve was able to make contact on a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing home TJ Mullaly.
Final Score: Penn State Harrisburg 1 Hampden-Sydney 16
WP: Triesler (1-0) LP: Patterson (0-1)
Standout Players:
Bret Williams: 2-3, 2B
TJ Mullaly: 1-2, BB, R
Up Next:
Penn State Harrisburg will continue their road trip to East. Mennonite on Saturday, February 25th for another double-header set. Game one first pitch is scheduled for noon.