ERIE, Pa. – Senior pitcher Jack Herzing (St. Mary's, PA/Elk County Catholic) broke the Penn State Behrend school record for most career strikeouts after fanning 16 batters in game one to help Behrend pick up an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) sweep over Alfred State, setting the new mark of 257 K's.
Heading into game one, Herzing needed 11 strikeouts to set the new school record in strikeouts, and he did just that by putting on a strikeout clinic. Through the first three innings, he retired every Pioneer (10-18, 5-5 AMCC) he faced, sitting down all nine batters.
In the top of the fourth, with the record in reaching distance, Herzing made his move. After hitting the first batter of the inning, he got back in his groove to post his 10th strikeout of the game, tying the all-time record.
The very next batter, with one out in the top of the fourth, Herzing picked up his 11th strikeout of the game to give him the most strikeouts in a Lions (14-9, 5-3 AMCC) uniform.
He continued his dominance on the mound, tying a career-high 16 strikeouts in a single game. Herzing threw a no-hitter threw five, but ended the game tossing a one-hitter in the seven innings of work, recording his second win of the season.
On the offensive side, after tallying one run in the first, Behrend went on a two-out rally in the third.
With two on and two-out, Justin Foreman (Oakdale, PA/South Fayette) led the charge with a single down the left field line that scored David Boehme (Venetia, PA/Seton-La Salle) from second.
John Brittner (Zelienople, PA/Seneca Valley) kept it going with a single up the middle that sent Ryan Hamm (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) home, making the score 3-0 in favor of the Lions.
A Braden Paulinellie (DuBois, PA/DuBois) single, followed by a Zach Murray (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) double and Ian Taylor (Wexford, PA/Vincentian Academy) single drove in three more runs in the inning for Behrend, ending the final score at 7-0.
Foreman went 2-for-2 in the game, while Brittner, Paulinellie, and Murray all battled 1-for-2 for the plate.
In game two, the Pioneers got on the board in the second inning to post an early 1-0 lead.
However, Behrend responded by scoring two in the third, two in the fourth, and then seven in the fifth to secure a lead them would not relinquish.
In the third, Mason McGuire (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly to right field. The next batter, Sada doubled to left field that scored Taylor from second, giving the Lions a 2-1 advantage.
Then in the fourth, Paulinellie plated a single to score Foreman. A couple batters later, Paulinellie scored himself from a balk by the pitcher.
As for the fifth inning, Hamm, Murray, Taylor, and Scott Sada (Saegertown, PA/Saegertown) all registered base hits to help Behrend tally seven runs in the inning.
Alfred State scored a few more runs in the game, but it would not enough to overcome to deficit, finalizing the score at 12-4.
Alex Hajduk (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) continues to maintain a perfect record on the hump. He threw six-innings, allowing three runs on four hits while also striking out eight batters.
Sada went 4-for-5 with three singles and a double for a team-high four RBIs. He extended his hitting-streak to nine consecutive games after recording hits in both games on the day.
The Lions are back in action this Sunday for a doubleheader at Thiel. The games are at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.