Baseball Falls to Tufts In NCAA Opener

NCAA Division III Tournament Regional Round – Game 1

Tufts 13, Penn State Harrisburg 5

Harrisburg Lineup

1. Torres 2b, 2. Smith cf, 3. Williams lf, 4. Van Houten p, 5. McSorley ss, 6. Winters rf, 7. Koroneos 1b, 8. Aug c, 9. Struve 3b

Tufts Lineup

1. Varinos 2b, 2. Mills cf, 3. Santos-Ocampo lf, 4. Cortese dh, 5. DeMaria 1b, 6. Day rf, 7. Knight 3b, 8. Frickman c, 9. Shackelford ss, Hall p

How It Happened

Penn State Harrisburg is still looking for its first victory in NCAA Tournament play after falling to Tufts 13-5 in the team's opening contest of regional round action at SUNY Cortland's Robert H. Wallace Field on Friday afternoon, May 17.

The Lions (32-14-1) struggled to get the bats going and fell short of the team's 9.9 runs per game average, while errors cost the Blue & White to the tune of six unearned runs. Miguel Torres and Casey Winters were the only players to record multi-hit outings, while the team's pitching surrendered 19 hits, including four of the extra-base variety, on the day.

The Jumbos (30-9) took advantage of Penn State Harrisburg's first error when Harrison Frickman turned what should have been a solo home run into a two-run shot in the top of the second inning. Tufts tacked on another run in the fifth but pitcher Travis Van Houten was twice able to work out of jams, leave the bases loaded and limit any further damage through five frames.

The Blue & White finally got something started in the bottom half after Winters and Zachary Koroneos led off with back-to-back singles. Jackson Struve drove in the team's first run with a single to left center before Chase Smith's ground ball allowed Koroneos to come across two at-bats later, cutting the deficit to 3-2 after five stanzas.

Tufts answered with a solo home run in the top of the sixth but the Lions put their lead-off men on base in both the sixth and seventh frames. A controversial foul tip call in the bottom of the seventh, however, seemed to halt Penn State Harrisburg's momentum. The Jumbos made the Blue & White pay for a pair of errors in the eighth and used three hits to add four runs.

The Lions got one back in the bottom half when a Van Houten grounder and ensuing Tufts' error allowed Bret Williams to score from first base but the Jumbos tallied five more runs in the top of the ninth. Penn State Harrisburg put up a crooked number in the bottom of the final inning when Tyler Aug plated on a wild pitch and Torres drove in Matt Parks on an RBI single but it proved too little too late.

At the Plate

- Casey Winters was 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Miguel Torres had a pair of hits and an RBI.

- Bret Williams, Zachary Koroneos, Jackson Struve and Matt Parks each recorded one hit.

- Williams, Winters, Koroneos, Tyler Aug and Parks scored one run apiece.

- Along with Torres, Chase Smith and Struve drove in runs.

On the Mound

- Travis Van Houten got the start for Penn State Harrisburg and went 5.2 innings. He allowed three earned runs on 10 hits to go along with three strikeouts.

- New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Pitcher of the Year RJ Hall got the win for Tufts, giving up two earned runs on five hits and three walks in seven innings thrown.

- Spencer Langdon earned the save for the Jumbos, throwing the final two frames and surrendering two runs on three hits.

- Tyler Jackson, Tyler Stabley and Brad Richards all made relief appearances for the Lions.

Around the Diamond

- The teams combined to commit to nine errors, leading to seven unearned runs.

- Catcher Tyler Aug threw out a Tufts runner attempting to steal second base in the third inning.

- Chase Smith racked up six putouts in center field.

- SUNY Cortland defeated Alvernia 7-3 in the regional's first contest on Friday.

Who's Next?

The Lions will take on Alvernia in an elimination game tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. Penn State Harrisburg defeated the Golden Wolvers 7-4 in their first meeting earlier this spring.

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