ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend baseball team swept a doubleheader from Penn State Altoona on Sunday afternoon at the Behrend Diamond.
In their 2014 home opener, the Lions took game one, 6-3.
Behrend struck for two in the bottom of the first. Ryan Finnegan (Fombell, PA/Riverside) scored Alex Margraf (Erie, PA/McDowell) on a sacrifice fly and Brian Bohman (Erie, PA/McDowell) followed with an RBI single. Tommy Kocur (Erie, PA/McDowell) then made it 3-0 with an RBI single in the bottom of the second.
The Lions (10-6, 2-2 AMCC) broke things open in the third when Matt DiDiano (Export, PA/Franklin Regional) hit a two-run double to right center.
Altoona (5-16, 0-4 AMCC) did manage to put the tying run on base in the final inning, but Connor Semple (Washington, PA/McGuffey) got Jordan Swope to ground into a fielder's choice to end the game.
Chad Zurat (Clearfield, PA/Clearfield) allowed two earned runs, striking out four through six innings to earn the win, and Semple slammed the door on Altoona in the seventh to preserve the win.
Behrend won game two 11-0 behind a complete-game shutout from starting pitcher Dante DeSantis (Dubois, PA/Dubois Central Catholic).
Bohman opened the scoring for the Lions with a two-run single in the bottom of the first.
Behrend widened the gap two innings later. Bohman scored Finnegan and Jordan Weinzierl (St. Mary's PA/St. Mary's) on a fielder's choice and later game through on a passed ball. DiDiano then smacked a two-run single to give the Lions a 7-0 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Behrend capped off the scoring with a four-spot. Weinzierl scored Margraf on an RBI single, and Justin Dilla (South Park, PA/South Park) followed with a two-run single.
Dilla then came around to score on an error to give the Lions an 11-0 advantage.
Weinzierl went 3-for-3 for Behrend, and Bohman finished with three runs batted in.
DeSantis was spectacular, allowing just two hits while striking out five in the win. The senior did not walk a batter.
The Lions will host Thiel on Monday, April 7, at 2 p.m.
