Lions snatch up a pair of road wins against CCAC Boyce

By: Matylda Zamudio

MONROEVILLE, Pa. — The Penn State Beaver men's baseball team came out on top against Community College of Allegheny County, Boyce Campus in Friday's doubleheader, thanks to a six-run seventh inning in game one and a seven-run sixth inning in game two to propel the double-wins.

In game one, Beaver gave up six runs to CCAC Boyce over the first three innings while the offense was quiet until the top of the seventh after a string of two-out hits led to a six-run inning, which started with James tripling to drive in three runs to tie the game at 6-6. The game was still tied at 7-7 at the top of the ninth, but freshman Trey Luffy (Baldwin) singled to right field to drive Hilliard and Redding to home plate. Beaver won its first game (9-7).

Freshman Christian James (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) led the offense in game one, where he went 2 for 4 and earned 3 RBIs. He was followed by junior Shelton Hilliard (Baden/Ambridge), who went 2 for 3 and earned 2 RBIs and freshman Jacob Beck (Beaver), who went 2 for 3 with 1 RBI.

Justyn Francona (New Brighton), who pitched the final 2.2 innings, earned the win for Beaver in game one (W, 2-0) after he held the lead in the bottom of the ninth to end the game. Francona only allowed three hits and stuck-out four of the 14 pitchers he faced.

In game two of the doubleheader, the teams both gave up two runs in the first, but Beaver fell behind early after going scoreless in the top of the second followed by giving up three runs to CCAC Boyce (5-2). While the Lions tacked on three more runs to tie the game at 5-5 in the top of the third, CCAC Boyce offense fought back and took five runs in the bottom of the inning to put Beaver down by five (10-5). The next two innings went scoreless, but the Lion's bats came alive in the sixth, as Sophomore Stefan Romaniuk (Alpha/Notre Dame), James, Beck, freshman Kyle Redding (Gettysburg), Hilliard, Luffy and freshman Noah Rinker (Ellwood City/Lincoln) would each score one of Beaver's seven sixth-inning runs to put the team ahead by two (12-10). The defense stepped up to hold CCAC Boyce to only one run in the bottom of the seventh, taking a 12-11 for the Lions in game two and 2-0 for the day.

Beck (W, 1-1), who pitched for 2.2 innings, earned the win for Beaver in game two after he held the lead to end the game. Beck only allowed three hits and struck out one of the 12 batters he faced.

After today's wins against CCAC Boyce, Beaver sits at a 5-7 record for the season.

Beaver will be back to face Butler County Community College in a doubleheader on Tuesday, Mar. 19. Game one is at 2 p.m. and game two is at 4 p.m.