FORT PIERCE, Fla. – The Penn State Behrend baseball team split a non-conference doubleheader with Elizabethtown on Monday morning in the season opener.  The Lions knocked off the Blue Jays 6-2 in game one before falling, 4-2.

In game one, senior Matt Bittner (Lancaster, NY/St. Mary's) led the way for Behrend going 2-for-2 at the dish with four RBIs.

The first inning was a tale of two sides.  Elizabethtown had some momentum going and was knocking on the door with runners on second and third with just one out.  The next batter for the Blue Jays smacked a fly ball to left field, but Alex Margraf (Erie, PA/McDowell) made the play and gunned down the tagging runner at the plate to end the inning.

The Lions (1-1) used the momentum swing to put a four spot on the board in their half.  Bittner singled home Ryan Kragnes (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park) and Margraf who started the inning with back-to-back singles.  Evan Bukowski (Washington, PA/Trinity) followed with a two-run single and suddenly Behrend was leading, 4-0. Bittner kept the Lions' offense going in the second with two more RBIs on a long double to center field.

That was all the run support Dante DeSantis (DuBois, PA/DuBois Central) needed on the bump.  DeSantis allowed just two unearned runs in five innings to go with two strikeouts before giving way to Jay Condit (Cranberry Twp., PA/Seneca Valley) who shut the door with two shutout innings.

In game two, the Lions matched their game-one hit total but were unable to generate enough runs to get past Elizabethtown.

Kragnes and Vinny Rice (Harmony, PA/Seneca Valley) drove in both Behrend runs on RBI singles.  Justin Wood (Allegany, NY/Allegany Limestone) suffered the loss on the mound despite not giving up an earned run in five innings of work.

The Lions will be back on the diamond tomorrow to take on Misericordia.  First pitch at the Lawnwood Complex in Fort Pierce, Florida is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.