WAYNESBURG, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend baseball team picked up a non-conference sweep of Waynesburg 8-1 and 14-5 Sunday afternoon.
Justin Foreman (Oakdale, PA/South Fayette) went 2-for-3 with two RBIs while David Boehme (Venetia, PA/Seton-La Salle) matched Foreman's RBI output with a bases-clearing double to lead the Lions (7-6) over the Yellow Jackets (4-12) in game one.
John Brittner (Zelienople, PA/Seneca Valley) batted 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI, and a double.
Alex Hajduk (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) got the start and win on the mound for Behrend, only allowing one run on two hits in seven innings of work. He also struck out four batters. Brennan Keillor (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) and Noah Schneider (DuBois, PA/DuBois) each threw one inning. The pitching core only allowed four hits throughout the first game.
After going down 1-0 after the first inning, the Lions went to work. Brittner and Foreman both recorded RBIs in the top of the second to give Behrend a 2-1 lead that they would not relinquish the rest of the game.
The Lions added a third run in the fourth inning from a Foreman single up the middle, scoring Brittner from second.
Behrend tallied a run in the fifth inning, and then got the bats going in the seventh to register three more to help capture the win in the first game.
In game two, Behrend used a six-run fifth inning to give themselves a comfortable nine-run cushion for the final two innings. As a team, they recorded four doubles and two singles in the inning, where Scott Sada (Saegertown, PA/Saegertown) notched two of those four doubles.
As the lead-off hitter in the top of the fifth, Sada roped a double down the right field line to get things going for the Lions. After he stole second and Ryan Hamm (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) was walked, Boehme laced the second double of the inning down the left field line that scored Sada and sent Hamm to third, making the score 5-2.
The next batter, Mason McGuire (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) hit a single to score Hamm and to pick up an RBI. Next, freshman Braden Paulinellie (DuBois, PA/DuBois) singled through the right side to score two of his four RBIs in game two.
As the inning went on, Foreman doubled to center field to score a run, and Sada, stepping up for the second time in the inning, lashed another double that scored two more Lion runners, ending the inning at 11-2.
Behrend added another run in the sixth and then two in the nightcap to end the game at 14-5.
Nine Behrend players registered hits in the game. Sada went 4-for-5 in game two with three doubles and single, scoring two runs and recording a team-high five RBIs. He also recorded two stolen bases. Paulinellie batted 2-for-3 with a career-high four RBIs.
Hamm went 2-for-4 and Boehme hit 2-for-5, both of which scored twice and had an RBI.
Phil Myers (DuBois, PA/DuBois Central Catholic) picked up his second win on the year, throwing six innings and striking out three. He allowed five runs on nine hits.
The Lions host Hilbert Wednesday for the first game of Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) action. The first game set for 1 p.m., followed by a 3 p.m. start for the second game.
