MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg's baseball team put up double-digit run totals in each of a pair of sizeable victories on Saturday afternoon to complete the weekend sweep of United East foe Lancaster Bible.
GAME 1
The Lions (9-5, 2-0 United East) scored in each of the first four innings of an 11-2 victory over Lancaster Bible (2-10, 0-2 United East) in the opening contest of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.
Kevin Lehner went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Brendan Henn, Matt Parks, and Maddux Ryan also had multi-hit outings, with Henn driving in a pair of runs. Danny Eden got the start and went six solid innings on the mound en route to earning the win.
Doubles from Lehner and Ryan in the bottom of the first allowed two runs to cross but the Chargers cut the deficit in half with a single run in the top of the ensuing frame. The home team answered back in the bottom of the second when Henn's single up the middle plated Parks and Ryan to make it 4-1.
Penn State Harrisburg broke it open in the third, using four hits, including a Lucas Floyd double, and three walks to tack on five more and push the advantage to 9-1. The Lions added a pair of insurance runs in the fourth, while Eden and reliever Roberto Barron took care of the rest on the bump.
GAME 2
Penn State Harrisburg (10-5, 3-0 United East) put up eight runs in the first inning and never looked back in a 11-0 shutout victory over Lancaster Bible (2-11, 0-3 United East) in the final contest of the weekend.
Hunter Merritt got the start and the win, allowing no runs on six hits to go along with four strikeouts. Drew Sassaman went 2-for-3 with three RBI, while Lucas Floyd finished 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and a pair of runs scored.
After the Chargers got two on to begin the game, Merritt worked out of trouble with a 6-4-3 double play to end the top of the first. The Lions responded by using four hits, four walks, and two errors to score eight runs in the bottom half, creating a massive cushion that held up the rest of the way.
The home team added another run in the third when Dallas Hite singled to right field and drove in Floyd after he led off the inning with a bunt single. The Lions put a cap on the game's scoring in the fourth when a Josh Lantz double scored Maddux Ryan before a Sassaman single to right center plated Lantz.
Penn State Harrisburg's pitching allowed just three hits the rest of the way, with Caiden Ertter, Nick Fitzgerald, and Simeon Davis combining to allow just two baserunners in the final three frames.
NOTABLES
- Lehner went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored in game one.
- Henn was 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI, and a run scored in the opener.
- Ryan finished 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, two runs scored and an RBI in the first contest.
- Parks was 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs in the first outing.
- Drew Sassaman walked three times and scored twice in the opener.
- Floyd doubled and drove in three runs in the opening contest.
- Eden went six innings and allowed just two runs on four hits in earning the game-one win.
- Merritt threw six frames and surrendered zero runs on six hits and one walk. He also struck out four batters en route to the game-two victory.
- Ertter worked a 1-2-3 seventh before Fitzgerald struck out three in the eighth. Davis struck out a pair in the ninth before ending the game with a flyout to center field.
- Floyd finished 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and a pair of runs scored in the second outing.
- Sassaman went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored in the second contest.
- Lantz was 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored, and an RBI in the nightcap.
- Henn went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored in the final game.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions travel to York (Pa.) for a non-conference tilt on Tuesday afternoon.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.