GREENSBURG, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend baseball team clinched the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) regular season championship with a sweep of Pitt-Greensburg on Saturday afternoon. The Lions took the opener 11-2 before knocking off the Bobcats 10-3 in game two.
The Behrend offense erupted for 29 hits and 21 runs in the two-game sweep to earn the right to host the 2013 AMCC Championship Tournament.
In game one, the Lions scored early and often. Behrend put up five runs to open the contest while scoring at least one run in the first five innings of the game. After John Hlavinka (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) and Matt Bittner (Lancaster, NY/St. Mary's) each drove in runs with doubles in the first inning, Corey Bowers (Westlake, OH/Westlake) capped the scoring frenzy with a two-run home run.
With the Lions holding an 8-2 lead in the fourth, Bowers was at it again. The freshman ripped a two-run double to add to the Behrend advantage. The Lions added another run to the lead in the fifth with an RBI single from Hlavinka.
Ryan Jacobs (Port Vue, PA/South Allegheny) earned his team-leading seventh win on the mound for Behrend after throwing six strong innings with four strikeouts and no earned runs.
The offense kept it up in game two, pushing across 10 more runs to tie the team's best doubleheader performance of the season.
After scoring once in the top of the first, the Lions found themselves trailing for the first time all day after Pitt-Greensburg answered with two in their half of the inning. Behrend did not back down though as the Lions plated three runs in the second.
The Bobcats made the game interesting in the fourth with a single run to cut the deficit to just one run. Behrend once again came back with a big inning, scoring four in the fifth to steal the momentum. The Lions added single insurance runs in the sixth and seventh to pick up the victory.
Dante DeSantis (DuBois, PA/Dubois Central Catholic) earned the win on the bump for Behrend with four innings of work. Chad Zurat (Clearfield, PA/Clearfield) shut the door on the Bobcats with three shutout innings and five strikeouts.
On the day, the Lions had five players with excellent plate appearances. Ryan Kragnes (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park) went 4-for-7 with four runs scored. Hlavinka went 4-for-6 with four RBIs as Bowers hit 4-for-8 with four RBIs. Taylor Overby (Nazareth, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) hit 4-for-7 with three runs and two RBIs. Evan Bukowski (Washington, PA/Trinity) registered a 4-for-7 day with three RBIs and two runs.
Berhend will be back on the diamond on Saturday to host Bethany in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.
