PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend baseball team fell to La Roche 10-5 in game one of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Championship Saturday evening.
Scott Sada (Saegertown, PA/Saegertown) went 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored in the contest. Two of his three hits were doubles, setting a new school record for the most doubles in a season with 24.
The Redhawks (35-9) used a five-run seventh inning to take their first and final lead of the game and force a winner-take-all game two for the AMCC crown.
The Lions (29-15) had their bats working early. John Hlavinka (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) got everything started with an infield single just before Brian Bohman (Erie, PA/McDowell) doubled him home in the next at bat. Bohman finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored.
After Bohman, David Boehme (Venetia, PA/Seton-Le Salle) walked befor Sada hit his first double of the game that scored Bohman and Behrend took an early 2-0 lead after the first half inning. La Roche answered with two runs of the own in the home half to square the score once again.
The Lions took advantage of Justin Foreman (Oakdale, PA/South Fayette) getting hit and reaching first to start the second. A sacrifice bunt and two singles from Brandon Bergstrom (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) and Bohman knocked in Foreman for a 3-2 lead. The Redhawks answered again in the home half to tie the game at 3-all.
Bergstrom walked in the sixth and Hlavinka then reached on an error by the third baseman to bring up Bohman with two on and one out. Bohman continued his big game and roped a single to left that scored Bergstrom and gave Behrend a 4-3 lead.
La Roche used five hits and a Lions' error to plate five runs in the seventh and take an 8-4 lead. They added two more insurance runs in the eighth before Sada hit his record-breaking double in the ninth and later scored the game's final run.
Eric Mikulan (Pittsburgh, PA/Hampton) pitched a solid game on the mound for Behrend and got a no decision. He threw 6.1 innings, surrendering five runs, three earned, and struck out seven.
The Lions and Redhawks will play tomorrow at 12 p.m. to decide who gets the AMCC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
