Vero Beach, Fla. - Through 14 innings and a little bit of rain, the Penn State Greater Allegheny men's baseball team went on to take two victories, Wednesday, as they overcame Hagerstown Community College, 4-1, and Briarcliffe (N.Y.), 7-5.
Greater Allegheny was the first to answer to Hagerstown in the 10 a.m. game, as senior infielder Adam Wehr (Orefield, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) doubled to left field to bring home freshman infielder Brian Casiano (San Juan, Puerto Rico/International Baseball Academy) to add the first tally in the bottom of the first inning. Hagerstown tied it up in the top of the next inning, as they next few went dry.
The bottom of the fourth inning saw a freshman outfielder Mark Hollis (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) single up the middle. Sophomore infielder Tommy Williams (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford) completed a sacrifice bunt to send Hollis to third, as Casiano singled to centerfield, bringing home Hollis, 2-1 GA. The bottom of the 6th would be the final scoring drive for the Lions, as junior infielder Aaron McGee (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford) hammered a single down the left field line, bringing home Williams and Hollis.
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Zach Krivda (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) threw for five innings, earning himself six strike-out's. Senior right-handed pitcher Eric Schell (Linesville, Pa./Mercyhurst North East) came in the game to earn the save, as he faced seven batters.
Williams went 2-for-2, bringing in one run. Wehr and Casiano matched one another, as each went 2-for-3, both gaining a RBI. Hollis went 1-for-1, earning himself two of the four Greater Allegheny runs across home plate.
The 4:00 p.m. game re-match against Briarcliffe (N.Y.) started a little differently. Briarcliffe managed a run in the first inning, as GA was reluctant to grab a score through the first batters. Sophomore outfielder Jose Pablo Bonilla (Coto Laurel, Puerto Rico/Academia Santa Maria) walked before both freshman catcher Francisco Del Rio (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy) and McGee singled into right field. After McGee's single, both Bonilla and Del Rio advance on a passed ball, bringing Bonilla across the plate to tie the score at one.
Casiano singled to proceed junior catcher Troy Ambros' (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./West Browar) double to right field. With the double, Casiano worked to get home. Junior outfielder/pitcher Oliver Girman (Monroeville, Pa./Serra Catholic) singled to bring home Ambros, after he got to third on a passed ball, 3-1 GA. Wehr got onto first base by a hit by pitch, having sophomore outfielder Jon Nusser (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brashear) pinch run for him. Bonilla walked before senior outfielder Braedon Pennington (Punxsutawney, Pa./Mercyhurst) earned a single to load the bases. Two outfield smacks brought home Nusser and Bonilla, bringing the score to 5-1. Briarcliffe matched our two runs in the bottom of the inning, making the game that much better.
The six inning was quick, as both teams did not manage a run. Del Rio doubled down the right field line, as sophomore outfielder Alex Dolce (Palm Bay, Fla./Brevard County) came in to pinch run. McGee reached on an error, sending Dolce to third. Williams was next up, as he hit a sacrifice bunt to earn the RBI, bringing Dolce to the tally board. Casiano singled up the middle, bringing home McGee and polishing off the GA scoring mark. Briarcliffe managed two more runs in the bottom of the 7th but could not overcome Greater Allegheny's lead, as Briarcliffe fell 7-5.
Junior right-handed pitcher Eddie Emes (New Brighton, Pa./New Brighton) threw for four innings, earning four strike-out's. Girman came in to throw the rest of the three innings. Del Rio and Williams went 2-for-3 with one run batted in apiece. Casiano went 3-for-5, as he scored one run and brought in one run.
Greater Allegheny (6-1) wraps up their annual spring break Florida trip, Thursday morning, as GA plays in Holman Stadium for a 10 a.m. start. The men are matched up against WVU Tech, in which GA took their first loss to earlier in the week.
