PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The La Roche University baseball team split the first two games of the best-of-three AMCC Championship series with Penn St. Behrend Wednesday afternoon. The teams will play the rubber match tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in a single nine inning game to decide this years champion.
After trailing 4-3 in game one, the Redhawks scored six unanswered runs to win 9-4. In game two, Penn St. Behrend scored all six of their runs in the top of the fourth and won the game 6-4. La Roche left a season-high 16 batters on base in game two.
Game One - La Roche 9, Penn St. Behrend 4
The Redhawks scored three runs each in the third, fourth and sixth innings. Behrend scored all four of their runs in the top of the fourth. The Lions led 4-3 heading into the bottom of fourth before back-to-back home-runs from Ryan Lynn and Jason Swope put the Redhawks back on top, 6-4. LRU never looked back.
La Roche went 10-29 (.345) at the plate as a unit and left seven runners on base while Penn St. Behrend batted 6-25 (.240) and left six runners on base. LRU posted five extra base hits (two home-runs, two triples, one double) and Behrend had one double.
On the mound, Jake Seymour pitched his seventh complete game of the season and improved to 8-0. In 7.0 innings pitched, Seymour had six strikeouts, four walks and two earned runs. Seymour threw 74 strikes,121 total pitches and had six shutout innings.
Ryan Lynn blased the game winning run on a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth to put LRU up 5-4. Lynn went 3-for-4 with a HR, a triple, two RBI and scored three runs. Lynn has homered in two of his last three games and was just a double away from hitting for the cycle.
Jason Swope went 2-for-3 with a solo HR, two RBI and three runs scored. Swope has had multiple hits in three of his last four games.
Dylan Urban went 2-for-4 with a triple and a game-high three RBI. Urban's three RBI in game one ties his season-high.
Austin Hoffman went 1-for-4 with a double and scored a run. Hoffman has four doubles in his last three games, at least one in each.
Game Two - La Roche 4, Penn St. Behrend 6
The first three innings of game two were quiet, zero runs were scored and the teams had just three hits combined. Then in the top of the fourth, the Lions bats exploded for all six of their runs.
With the bases loaded and no outs, Behrend's Isaac Stouffer cracked a three-RBI double into dead center. Then with two outs and the bases loaded once more, the Lions walked in a run. The next batter hit an RBI single to score two more.
After six scoreless innings, La Roche finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh when Phil Pieto bombed a three run homer to left center field. The lead was cut in half and LRU trailed 6-3.
La Roche would score again in the bottom of the ninth when Nathan Stutz hit a sacrifice fly to score Mason Brooks to make it 6-4.
Unfortunately, the Redhawks did not hit well enough with runners in scoring position in game two. LRU went 1-for-14 (.071) with RISP and left 16 batters on base.
Mason Brooks went 4-for-5 with a double, a triple and a run scored. Brooks was the only Redhawk with multiple hits. His four hits in game two are a career-high.
La Roche and Behrend both went 7-for-33 (.212) at the plate. LRU had four extra base hits (two doubles, a triple, HR) and PSB had just one double.
Tristan Tinney got the start and notched his first loss of the season to move to 5-1 overall. In 4.0 innings pitched, Tinney had five strike-outs, two walks and gave up five earned runs.
Shawn Marcellus game in as relief in the fifth inning and was lights out. In 5.0 innings pitched, Marcellus had five K's, no walks and gave up just two hits (both singles).
Behrend's starting pitcher Thomas Zbezinski, the AMCC Preseason Pitcher of the Year and 4x AMCC Pitcher of the Week had a career-high 12 K's in 6.0 IP and gave up zero runs.