ASHLAND, Va. - Penn State Harrisburg's baseball team used the right combination of stellar pitching, timely hitting, and opportunistic baserunning to come away with a 4-3 road victory over No. 15 Randolph-Macon at Estes Park on Wednesday afternoon, March 8.
Josh Berzonski was excellent in three innings of relief, earning the win after allowing just one hit and striking out five straight batters across the game's final two frames. Fisher Druck turned in a strong start that saw him surrender just two earned runs in six innings of work. Josh Lantz finished 3-for-4 to lead the way at the plate, while Drew Sassaman also had a multi-hit outing.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After erasing a two-run deficit in the middle innings, Penn State Harrisburg (6-2) used a two-out rally to break a 3-3 tie and pull ahead in the top of the eighth. Brendan Henn walked with two away, Kevin Lehner followed it up by singling to left center, and Henn used a great jump to advance to third before a wild pitch during Maddux Ryan's ensuing at-bat allowed him to scamper home.
Berzonski was lights out in the final two stanzas, striking out the side in the bottom of the eighth before getting two more strikeouts to begin the bottom of the ninth. Berzonski finished off his sterling outing by getting Aidan Pinto to ground out to Ryan at first base, sealing the team's third win over a nationally-ranked squad so far this season.
Trailing 3-1 after five, the Lions went to work with two away in the top of the sixth. Matt Parks beat out a ground ball to first base and head's up baserunning allowed Lantz to score from second on the infield single. Henn walked to load the bases and Lehner followed it up with a four-pitch walk that pushed Lucas Floyd across to tie things up.
The Yellow Jackets (9-1) faced a 1-0 deficit in the fifth but turned to small ball to get on the board and eventually take the lead. Randolph-Macon opened the bottom half with back-to-back singles through the left side before using two straight bunts to force an error and plate a pair of runs. The home team added a third run on another single through the left side before Druck worked out and stranded a runner on second base.
The game remained scoreless through three stanzas before Penn State Harrisburg's first two-out rally of the day resulted in the contest's first run. With two down, Blaine Waltimyer worked a walk, Lantz singled through the left side to move him to second base, and Sassaman drove him in with a single to right field.
NOTABLES
- No. 15 Randolph-Macon is the second nationally-ranked team the Lions faced this spring. Penn State Harrisburg took two of three from No. 16 Arcadia over the weekend.
- Druck and Berzonski combined to allow no walks on the day.
- Berzonski earned his first win of the season after surrendering just one hit and striking out five in three innings of relief.
- Druck got the start and allowed just two earned runs on seven hits in six innings thrown.
- Lantz finished 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.
- Sassaman went 2-for-4 and drove in the game's first run.
- Henn's third-inning double was the contest's only extra-base hit. He also scored the game-winning run, walked twice, and swiped the game's lone stolen base.
- Parks and Lehner drove in one run apiece.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions continue their road trip through Virginia when they travel to Virginia Wesleyan for a single game on Thursday afternoon.
STAY CONNECTED
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