Butler, Pa. - In their first set of Penn State University Athletic Conference contests of the 2014-15 season, the Penn State Greater Allegheny baseball team took two games from Penn State Fayette, Monday afternoon, by tallies of 13-3 both games.
To start game one, freshman right-handed pitcher Luke Padezan (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) sat down the first three batters in the top of the first inning. Greater Allegheny came ready to bat in the bottom of the inning. Senior shortstop Aaron McGee (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford) doubled to right field before senior center-fielder Gianmarco Concepcion (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Mercyhurst North East) singled to cover runners on second and third. Each of the runners advanced on a passed ball, McGee scoring. Sophomore first baseman Joshua Arroyo (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico/Levittown Baptist Academy) walked to first base before each of them advanced on a passed ball, again, scoring Concepcion, GA leading Fayette 2-0.
Fayette evened the score at two after the top of the second, before GA was up to bat in the bottom of the second. Sophomore second baseman Adam Jacko (North Versailles, Pa./East Allegheny) and junior third baseman Clay Groff (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) walked to get on base as sophomore left-fielder Mark Hollis (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) singled to fill the bases. McGee singled to center field to score Jacko and Hollis, 4-2 GA. Senior catcher Troy Ambros (Pembroke Pines, Fla./West Broward) singled to fill the bases again. Concepcion reached on fielders choice as Ambros got the out, Groff scoring. Arroyo walked to push McGee to score. Senior right-fielder Matt Klena (Allison Park, Pa./Shaler Area) sacrifice flied out to center field to bat in Ambros, 7-2 Greater Allegheny lead.
Fayette tallied another run to move their score up to three as GA came up to bat in the bottom of the third inning. Hollis and Groff filled the first two bases as McGee grounded-out to advance the runners to scoring positions. Ambros singled up the middle to bring home both Hollis and Groff, GA up 9-3.
Arroyo singled to open the bottom of the 4th before sophomore designated hitter Francisco Del Rio (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy) walked to first base. Klena singled to right field to fill the bases before Jacko reached on fielder's choice as Del Rio got the out, Arroyo scoring and putting GA up 10-3.
McGee and Concepcion were hit-by-pitch as Ambros walked to fill the bases in the bottom of Freshman pinch hitter Nick Jeffers (Vinton, Ohio/River Valley) reached first base by a fielding error, scoring McGee. Freshman pinch hitter Sam Ligeros (Munhall, Pa./Steel Valley) singled to bat in both Ambros and Concepcion, capping game one by a ten-run rule, 13-3 Greater Allegheny after five innings of PSUAC action.
Through game one, freshman right-handed pitcher Terance Wroniak (Pittsburgh, Pa./Carrick) received his first win on the mound as he threw over two innings, sitting down four batters on strike-outs. The freshman saw nine batters as he threw 36 pitches, 21 strikes. Ambros and McGee went 2-for-3 in the box as they combined a total of five runs and four RBI's for the GA Lions. Ligeros went 1-for-1 with two runs scored as Groff and Concepcion hit 1-for-3 with two runs apiece scored.
Game two started as the skies began to get dark with rain clouds in Butler, Pa. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Dan Daly (Glassport, Pa./South Allegheny) started on the mound for the blue-and-white.
Fayette dropped a run in the top of the first inning before Groff walked to first base and Ambros reached on a fielding error. Concepcion singled off a bunt to fill the bases before all the runners advanced on a passed ball, scoring Groff. Arroyo sacrifice flied out to center field to bring home Ambros. Del Rio was hit-by-pitch before both he and Concepcion stole bases, Concepcion scoring, GA 3-1 after the first inning.
The Roaring Lions dropped two runs in the top of the third inning to even the margin up at three before GA came back to the batters box. Ambros doubled down the right field line before advancing on a passed ball and scoring off of a ground-out by Concepcion. Arrouo singled to center field before Klena doubled down the right field line. Jacko singled to left center field to bat in both Arroyo and Klena, GA up 6-3. Hollis was then hit-by-pitch as Groff slammed a triple to left field, ushering in both Hollis and Jacko. McGee doubled to left field to score Groff as Ambros singled to right field to score McGee, Greater Allegheny now leading Fayette, 10-3.
The fourth inning went silent as did the top of the fifth before the Greater Allegheny Lions wrapped up their first day of PSUAC action. Coach Jackson moved some new faces into the game as junior John Nusser (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brashear) was hit-by-pitch to get onto first. Freshman Dylan Ernst (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) reached on a fielder's choice as Nusser was out at second base. Freshman Chris Weigl (Port Jefferson, N.Y./Comsewogue) was also hit-by-pitch before McGee was walked. Sophomore Alexander Riley (Pittsburgh, Pa./John Marshall) singled to bat in Ernst. Jeffers singled up the middle to bring home Weigl. Freshman Esteban Lasanta (Gursho, Puerto Rico/Notre Dame) was hit-by-pitch to push McGee across home plate and move Greater Allegheny ahead of Fayette ten runs, finishing game two by the same tally, 13-3 GA.
Daly earned his first win on the mound for Greater Allegheny, as the freshman threw three innings, as he sat down five batters on strike-out. Daly saw 14 batters, throwing 34 strikes on 47 pitches. McGee posted his third save of the season, as he threw two innings, also sitting down five batters on strike-outs. On 20 total pitches, McGee sat down 15 on strikes, not allowing a single hit.
Ambros ended game two going 2-for-3, scoring two runs and batting one run in. Groff finished with 1-for-2, scoring two runs and batting two others in. McGee batted 1-for-3 as he scored two runs and batted another across home plate. The Greater Allegheny offense managed 11 hits and 13 runs off of 23 at bats.
Greater Allegheny, now 12-4 and a perfect 2-0 in Penn State University Athletic Conference play, are set to host a PSUAC weekend at Woodland Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Penn State Worthington-Scranton is set for a double-header with GA. First-pitch is set for 2 p.m.
