ERIE, Pa. – Brandon Bergstrom (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) had three hits – including a key three-run double – to lead the Penn State Behrend baseball team past Houghton 6-5 on Monday afternoon at the Behrend Diamond.
Jordan Weinzierl (St. Mary's, PA/St. Mary's) put the Lions on the board first in the opening frame by singling home Brian Bohman (Erie, PA/McDowell).
After the Highlanders tied it in the top of the second, Behrend struck the game's first big blow an inning and a half later.
The Lions (17-11) loaded the bases with nobody out thanks to two hit batsmen and an error. Houghton pitcher Timothy Leathersich looked like he would escape damage when he retired Casey Kern (Monroeville, PA/Gateway) and got Tommy Kocur (Erie, PA/McDowell) to ground into a fielder's choice which cut-off a potential run at home.
But with two down, Bergstrom stepped up and drilled a double to deep left-center, emptying the bases. The clutch hit gave Behrend a 4-1 lead.
The following inning, the Highlanders (8-17) responded by tying up the contest at four on a couple of errors and a bunt single.
The Lions came right back to take the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Justin Dilla (South Park, PA/South Park) reached base after being hit by a pitch. The freshman then stole second and was plated on Bohman's RBI single.
Behrend added an insurance run in the fifth when, with nobody out and runners on the corners, Bergstrom hit into a 6-4-3 double play that resulted in Kern crossing home.
Andrew Quiggle (Erie, PA/Collegiate Academy-Central Tech) earned his first career win after coming on in relief. The junior struck out four in 2.2 innings of work. Tyler Geer (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBoeuf) was solid as well, as he did not surrender a run in 1.2 innings.
Freshman Justin Rohrer (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin) notched his second career save in the victory. He retired all four batters he faced, striking out two.
Weinzierl finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Kocur reached base twice, also scoring a run in the process.
The Lions will travel to Hilbert for a conference doubleheader on Tuesday, April 22 beginning at 2 p.m.
