FERRUM, Va. - The bats were out in full force for Penn State Harrisburg during the team's doubleheader sweep of Ferrum on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 26. The Lions earned a 17-10 victory in the opener before closing out the weekend with a 20-4 win in the nightcap. 

GAME 1

The Lions (2-1) racked up 18 hits, including seven extra-base knocks, in a 17-10 win in Sunday's opener. Nick Fitzgerald turned in a strong start en route to earning the victory on the mound, while Dallas Hite, Drew Sassaman, and Lucas Floyd all had three-hit outings.

Penn State Harrisburg wasted no time jumping all over the Panthers (3-4) in the opening frame, using five hits to race out to a 9-0 lead after one. Hite, Maddux Ryan, Josh Lantz, Sassaman, Floyd, and Blaine Waltimyer all drove in runs, while Brendan Henn stole home before Waltimyer scored on a passed ball.

The visitors tacked on four more runs in the top of the second thanks to a Drew Bechtold RBI groundout, an RBI double from Sassaman, and back-to-back bases-loaded walks from Matt Parks and Brendan Henn.

Ferrum got on the board in the bottom of the third but Fitzgerald limited the damage to just two runs before ending his outing with three straight scoreless innings. The Lions added insurance by plating single runs in the fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, respectively, including the first home run of the season off the bat of Ryan Turner. The Panthers cut into the deficit in the ninth but their comeback effort proved too little, too late. 

GAME 2

Penn State Harrisburg (3-1) followed up a blistering offensive performance in game-one with an even wider margin of victory in a 20-4 win over Ferrum (3-5) in the final game of the weekend. Carlos Irizarry hit a grand slam and drove in six runs, while Parks racked up five RBI. Starter Fisher Druck earned the first win of his career on the rubber.

Like they did in the first outing, the Lions jumped all over the home team, using three hits and taking advantage of three Ferrum errors to push eight runs across in the opening stanza. Parks, Matt Isaac, Sassaman, Irizarry, Waltimyer, and Hite all drove in runs in the first, while Druck sat down the Panthers in order in the bottom half.

Ferrum cut the deficit to five with a three-run second, the visitors got one back thanks to an Isaac sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth, and the Panthers made it 9-4 with a single run in the bottom of the frame. 

Irizarry blew the game open with a bases-loaded blast in the seventh and Parks added some insurance with a sac fly. The Lions put up three more in the eighth and another trio of runs in the ninth, leaving no doubt and securing the four-game series win.  

NOTABLES

- Fitzgerald, the game-two starter, secured the win after allowing just two runs on two hits to go along with four strikeouts in six innings of work. 

- Hite went 3-for-5 with a triple, a double, a walk, two RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base in the opener.

- Floyd was 3-for-5 with a triple, two runs scored, and a pair of RBI in the first outing.

- Sassaman finished 3-for-5 with a double, a pair of runs, and two RBI in game one. 

- Parks walked three times, doubled, drove in two runs, and scored two more in the opener. 

- Parks was even better in game two, going 2-for-4 with a walk, five RBI, and two runs.

- Irizarry went 3-for-5 with a grand slam, six RBI, and three runs scored in the second contest.

- Hite, Waltimyer, and Sassaman also had multi-hit efforts in the nightcap.

- In his first career start, Druck got the win after surrendering just four runs on four hits in five innings thrown in the second outing.

- Josh Berzonski turned in a stellar relief effort, striking out four without allowing a hit or walk in the final four innings of game two.

WHO'S NEXT?

The Lions get a week off before hosting No. 15 Arcadia for doubleheader action on Saturday afternoon, March 4. 

STAY CONNECTED

Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.