ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend baseball team lost a pair of home Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) games to rival La Roche 2-1 and 10-8 Saturday afternoon.
The Redhawks (28-8, 13-1 AMCC) plated four runs in the top half of the ninth to take a 10-8 lead and their closer came in to shut the door on the Lions (19-12, 8-4 AMCC) in order to end the game.
Behrend scored two runs with two outs in the third to take a 2-0 lead. Scott Sada (Saegertown, PA/Saegertown) singled and scored, while John Hlavinka (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) and Brian Bohman (Erie, PA/McDowell) reached on throwing errors.
La Roche got both of those runs back in the top of the fourth before the Lions exploded for four more runs in the bottom half to take a 6-2 lead. Three straight singles up the middle, an error and a single through the left side plated those four runs.
Behrend added two more runs in the seventh after the Redhawks posted a three spot in the top half. In an 8-5 game, La Roche chipped away and got one in the eighth and the final four after the first two batters of the ninth were retired.
Phil Myers (DuBois, PA/DuBois Central Catholic) threw 5.2 solid innings and left with a 6-2 lead. He would earn the no decision after giving up six hits and two earned runs while striking out six.
Game one was a pitching duel between Justin Rohrer (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin) for the Lions and Tanner Wilt of the Redhawks. Between the two pitchers, they surrendered only six hits, Rohrer with two and Wilt with four.
None of the three runs given up were earned. Two errors by Behrend in the fourth inning gave La Roche their two runs, and the Lions scored theirs on a passed ball that allowed Zach Murray (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) to score from third.
Bohman, Matt Wolczko (Apollo, PA/Kiski Area), Nathan Noe (Albion, PA/Northwestern) and Murray were the only Lions to record a hit against the conference leader in earned run average.
Behrend is back in action tomorrow on their home diamond for games at 1 and 4 p.m. against Mount Aloysius.
