MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – In a battle of regionally-ranked teams, Penn State Harrisburg baseball won the 2021 North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Championship in thrilling fashion thanks to a doubleheader sweep of Penn State Abington that included a walk-off victory in the deciding game on Sunday afternoon, May 16. The hometown Lions were dominant in a 13-4 game one win before capturing the conference title and securing an automatic NCAA Tournament bid with a heart-stopping 6-5 victory in the clincher.
GAME 1
Penn State Harrisburg got a stellar starting performance from Drew Harshbarger and racked up 17 hits en route to a 13-4 victory over Penn State Abington in game one of the NEAC Championship Series on Sunday afternoon.
After the visitors took advantage of an error to get on the board first in the top of the opening frame, Penn State Harrisburg put up a crooked number of its own thanks to four hits and two walks in the bottom half, highlighted by Maddux Ryan's bases-loaded RBI single that plated three runs.
Harshbarger allowed just four base runners over the next five innings and the offense struck again when Drew Bechtold and Casey Winters led off the bottom of the sixth stanza with back-to-back solo home runs that pushed the advantage to 8-2.
The hometown Lions used five hits and a walk to score four more runs in the bottom of the seventh, capped by a Matt Parks double with two away that drove in Ryan McSorley and Bret Williams. Zach Morales hit a two-run home run to cut the visitors' deficit to eight in the top of the eighth but Bechtold drove in an insurance run thanks to an RBI groundout in the bottom half.
Reliever Tyler Jackson got two quick outs to begin the ninth before Kevin Maiolo finished things off by getting Ryan McCarty to ground out to end the opener.
GAME 2
A Matt Parks two-run, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth inning walked off a 6-5 victory over Penn State Abington in game two of the NEAC Championship Series, clinched the conference title, and secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for Penn State Harrisburg.
With one away and his team trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth, Dallas Hite got things started by beating out a ground ball to shortstop before Ryan McSorley hit a perfectly placed double down the right field line to put a the game-winning run in scoring position. Penn State Abington intentionally walked Bret Williams and Parks made the region's top-ranked team pay by lacing a sharply-hit ground ball just inside the first base bag and into right field, easily scoring Hite and allowing pinch runner Simeon Davis to come around from second to cap the unforgettable win and set off a celebratory mob of Parks at first base.
After erasing a 4-1 deficit in the previous inning, the visitors took the lead for the first time when a wild pitch with the bases-loaded allowed Darren Hess to sneak home in the top of the eighth. They erased the three-run deficit and drew even in the seventh thanks to a walk, hit-by-pitch, a sac fly, and a pair of RBI infield singles.
Penn State Harrisburg got a two-out rally going in the bottom of the first and took advantage of an Abington error that led to Bret Williams scoring the game's initial run before a Matt Isaac single plated Parks and Chase Smith. Hite increased the advantage to four with a solo shot to left field in the bottom of the ensuing stanza.
NOTABLES:
- The conference championship is the second in program history for Penn State Harrisburg after accomplishing the same feat in 2013.
- The Lions will make their third NCAA Tournament appearance this spring after doing the same in 2019 and 2013.
- Starter Drew Harshbarger went 6.0 innings in the first contest, allowing just one earned run and striking out six.
- Maddux Ryan and Dallas Hite each had three-hit outings in the opener.
- Drew Bechtold went 2-for-4 with a homer, three RBI, and a run scored in game one.
- Bret Williams and Chase Smith also had multi-hit performances in the first contest.
- Ryan McSorley and Casey Winters scored two runs apiece in the opener.
- Zach Gettys turned in a quality start in game two, going 6.1 innings and striking out five batters.
- Michael De Leon made a relief appearance, throwing 1.2 innings before Tyler Jackson held down the final frame and eventually got the win in the nightcap.
- Hite went 2-for-5 with a solo homer, an RBI, and two runs scored in the second outing.
- Williams was 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in game two.
- Parks' walk-off hit was his second game-winner of the spring. He also smashed a walk-off grand slam to down No. 15 Shenandoah last month.
- The pair of victories improved Penn State Harrisburg to 27-7 on the season.
WHO'S NEXT?
Penn State Harrisburg is set to make its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Lions' first opponent will be revealed during the NCAA Selection Show next week.