Butler, PA. – There were plenty of runs to go around for the Penn State Greater Allegheny Baseball Team (10-11, 7-3) as they defeated Penn State Fayette 16-0 on Sunday afternoon. PSUGA enforced the 15-run rule after scoring 14 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to propel them to the victory.
PSUGA got on the board in the bottom of the first when Zack Pollack (Cecil, PA./Cannon-McMillan) grounded out to third to bring home Adam Jacko (North Versailles, PA./East Allegheny) and give PSUGA a 1-0 lead. They would get on the board once again in the bottom of the 3rd when Josh Arroyo (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico/Levittown Baptist Academy) grounded out to bring home another run and give PSUGA a 2-0 lead.
The bottom of the fourth would be the inning that decided the game as PSUGA put up a season high 14 runs to burst out to a 16-0 lead. Back-to-back singles and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with nobody out to start things. Then back-to-back walks by Hunter Hughes (Murrysille, PA./Franklin Regional) and Jacko pushed the score to 4-0.
Pedro Escobar (Aguadilla, Puerto Rico/Carlos Beltran Baseball academy) got the first hit of the inning bringing in two more runs on an RBI single to extend the lead to 6-0. Two hit by pitches and two walks brought in four more runs to make it 10-0 before Brian Koglin (Fox Chapel, PA./Fox Chapel) cleared the bases with a three-run double to give PSUGA a 13-0 lead. The final run would come via a dropped third strike that would score Koglin and end the inning.
Those runs were more then enough support for PSUGA’s starter Marcos Lopez (Caglas, Puerto Rico/Ramsey). It was Lopez’s first start since March 30th and he was looking for his first win of the season. Lopez was able to come through pitching the complete five innings giving up just one earned run on four hits while walking three and striking out six.
Arroyo also had a big day going 1-3 at the plate and driving in four runs on the day. Arroyo also collected his 100th career collegiate RBI in the game on his hit by pitch in the fourth inning that was part of the 14-run bottom of the fourth. Arroyo has been on fire all weekend long and in his last three ball games has now gone 5-8 with eight RBI.
The win helps PSUGA get into better positioning as the PSUAC playoff race is in full swing. With wins over DuBois and Mont Alto at the end of the season, PSUGA has a chance to possibly clinch the #2 seed heading into the PSUAC tournament. They currently sit at 7-3 in conference play and are in position to make the tournament for the fifth time in the last eight seasons.
PSUGA is back in action this Wednesday when they take on PSU-DuBois in doubleheader action at PSU-DuBois. The first game is scheduled for 6 p.m. followed by the second game at around 8 p.m.