Baseball Splits Two With Rochester (MI)

Vero Beach, Fl-   The Penn State Greater Allegheny baseball team used 7 strong innings from Senior pitcher Jonathan Lutz (West Mifflin) to cruise to a 10-1 victory against Rochester College (MI) in game 1, before falling 2-1 in a rain-shortened, 6 inning, game 2.  

  GA got the bats going early when Sophomore center fielder Zak Schmidt (Moon) led off the game with a single up the middle.  Schmidt would advance to second on a passed ball, and then scored on an RBI single from Sophomore first baseman Adam Wehr (Northwestern). 

They would then tack on two more in the second, including one knocked in when Junior third baseman Jason Paris (Chartiers Valley) tripled to left center. Two more runs in the fourth, three in the fifth, and two in the seventh, gave GA their 10 runs on the day. 

  Jonathan Lutz (1-2) picked up his first win of the season, striking out two hitters over his seven inning gem.  He surrendered just six hits, and only gave up the lone run.  Adam Wehr went 3-4 at the plate with two runs and an RBI.  Zak Schmidt, Jason Paris, and Junior catcher Josh Kubisz (Goose Creek) all got two hits, with Paris driving in two runs.  Sophomore Sam Weightman (Penn Trafford) also had a strong day, going 1-3 with 2 RBI's.

  Game 2 was mostly a heated pitchers duel, as just one run was scored through the first two and a half innings.  In the GA third, Jason Paris singled and advanced all the way to third following two wild pitches.  Senior Teddy Fricke (Carrick) then drilled a double to center field, knocking in Paris.  Sophomore pitcher Tim Connelly (West Mifflin) kept Rochester off the scoreboard through the first five innings, but allowed two runs to cross in the sixth.  GA could not come back in their half of the sixth, and the game was eventually called due to rain before they had another opportunity. 

  Jason Paris and Adam Wehr both had two hits, with Teddy Fricke recording the only RBI for GA.  Tim Connelly tossed all six innings, giving up the two runs on five hits, walking one.

  With the split, Greater Allegheny improves its record to 4-5 overall, with one game remaining in their Florida Spring Training trip.  They will finish up with a 9 AM game tomorrow, March 10 against Rochester College (MI).