Baseball Gets Back on Track With Sweep of Penn State Hazleton

Woodland Hills, Pa- The Greater Allegheny baseball team overcame an early five-run deficit to win game 1 11-10, and then used a pair of home runs by sophomore Sam Weightman (Penn Trafford) to win game 2, 6-3.

  GA earned a 1-0 first inning lead when sophomore first baseman Adam Wehr (Northwestern Lehigh, PA) singled home freshman outfielder Oliver Girman (Serra Catholic, PA), who had reached with a lead-off single.  Hazleton quickly answered with a huge top of the second, scoring 6 runs off Great Allegheny starter, freshman Matt Klena (Shaler, PA). 

  Looking to cut into the lead in the second, junior third baseman Jason Paris (Chartiers Valley, PA) led-off with a single, and then advanced to third on a double from freshman outfielder Zach Zeroski (West Allegheny, PA).  Freshman shortstop Aaron McGee (Penn Trafford, PA) then singled up the middle, driving in both runners.  Two more hits by GA, followed by a sacrifice fly from Adam Wehr, allowed them to tie the score at six.

  GA then added one in the third to take a 7-6 lead, but quickly relinquished it by giving up two runs in the top of the fourth. Greater Allegheny countered quickly, scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning.  After adding an insurance run the sixth, Aaron McGee came on to close down the seventh, as GA held on for the 11-10 win.

  Adam Wehr led Greater Allegheny on offense, with his 3 RBI's on 1 hit.  Oliver Girman went 2-4 with an RBI, with Aaron McGee going 1-3 with 2 RBI's.  Girman (3-1) also picked up the win on the mound, pitching four innings in relief.  He gave up 3 runs on 3 hits, while striking out 2.

  Greater Allegheny again fell behind early in game 2, trailing 3-0 after the first half-inning.  GA would cut into the lead in the second, scoring a run via Sam Weightman's fourth home run of the season.

  Senior pitcher Teddy Fricke (Carrick, PA) settled down through the remainder of the game, shutting out the Hazleton bats.  Sam Weightman would hit his second home run- and fifth of the season- with a two-run blast in the bottom of the fifth inning.  After a tough beginning of the seventh, Fricke was able to get out of a jam, clinching the 6-3 win.

  Sam Weightman would go 2-3 on the day with 3 RBI's, with both hits being home runs.  Junior catcher Josh Kubisz (Goose Creek, SC) was also strong at the plate, going 2-3 with 2 RBI's.  Teddy Fricke (4-1) earned the complete game victory, striking out 4 batters and surrendering just the 3 first-inning runs.

  The PSUAC sweep improves Greater Allegheny's record to 24-10 overall and 11-1 in conference play.  They return to the diamond Thursday, April 19 for a 2 PM double-header at Penn State Beaver.