MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg used a gem from junior pitcher Will Chaney (Lancaster, Pa. / Lampeter-Strasburg) and three RBIs from sophomore Bryan Balshy to earn a 4-1 win over Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) opponent Marymount (Va.) on Thursday afternoon, Mar. 27; the team's first-ever CAC victory.
On the mound, Chaney picked up his second win of the season in impressive fashion, throwing a complete nine inning game and allowing just one earned run and no walks in addition to striking out four Marymount (Va.) batters.
Balshy went 1-3 at the plate for the Lions with a game-high three RBIs thanks to a momentum shifting triple in the bottom of the fifth inning that cleared the bases and gave Penn State Harrisburg a lead it wouldn't surrender. Senior Colton Houseal (Maytown, Pa. / Donegal) and juniors Jim Quinn (Thornton, Pa. / Garnet Valley) and Jim Murphy (Drexel Hill, Pa. / Monsignor Bonner) scored on the play. Balshy plated moments later thanks to a Marymount (Va.) wild pitch, giving the home team a 4-1 advantage.
The Saints scored their only run of the day in the top of the fifth when Sean Gallagher plated thanks to Macon Heikes' sacrifice fly to left field.
Aside from allowing that lone run, Chaney was stellar on the bump all game long. The junior hurler worked out of a potential first inning jam without giving up any runs and got better as the innings wore on, recording 1-2-3 stanzas in the fourth, eighth and final frames.
Houseal, Quinn, junior John Cataldo (Pine Grove, Pa. / Pine Grove) and sophomore Eric Hoover (Hershey, Pa. / Hershey) all went 1-3 with Houseal and Quinn scoring runs. Freshman Logan Hall (Sunbury, Pa. / Shikellamy) was 1-4 with a double.
The victory over the Saints not only earned the Blue & White its first-ever CAC win, it also put an end to the Lions' recent seven-game skid. Penn State Harrisburg improved to 4-15 overall and now stands at 1-6 in league play.
Weather permitting, the Lions will look to transform the momentum of Thursday's win into more victories when they take travel south for more conference play this weekend. Penn State Harrisburg is scheduled to take on nationally-ranked Salisbury in doubleheader action on Saturday, Mar. 29 before taking part in a rematch with Marymount (Va.) the next day.
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