PSUGA Baseball Looks for First Win Against Familiar Foe

Myrtle Beach, SC – The Penn State Greater Allegheny Baseball Team (0-2, 0-0) will be looking for their first win of the season on day two of their Myrtle Beach Trip. They will have the opportunity to do it against a familiar foe when they face off in doubleheader action against Penn State Hazleton at 3 and 5 p.m. at the Cal Ripken Experience.

They dropped their Myrtle Beach opener yesterday when they fell to Chatham 6-1. As a team, they collected just three hits through the first six innings of play before their bats came to life in the seventh after a leadoff single by Zach Pollack (Cecil, Pa./Cannon-McMillan) and back-to-back one out singles by Pedro Escobar (Aguadilla, Puerto Rico/Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy) and Caleb Smith (Irwin, Pa./Norwin).

It set up runners at first and third with two outs for Brian Koglin (Fox Chapel, Pa./Fox Chapel) who would deliver with his first RBI of the season getting PSUGA their first run of the ball game and cutting the lead to five. However, the rally would be short-lived when Hunter Hughes (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the ball game and hand PSUGA their second loss of the season.

Luke Padezan (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) got his first start of the season pitching the complete six inning game giving up six runs on 12 hits while walking one. Padezan got into trouble in the second inning giving up three runs and ended the day giving up two in the bottom of the sixth.

PSUGA is trying to get their offense going again after scoring nine runs on 12 hits against one of the top Division II teams in Mercyhurst to start the season. PSUGA would get off to a slow start in that game as well, turning it on over the last five innings of play to score all nine of their runs in the game.

PSU-Hazleton enters Wednesday’s doubleheader looking for some life of their own. They have dropped each of their first three contests of the season including dropping a 5-3 ball game against New River Community College on Monday. Tim Kindler had a big day for Hazleton going 3-4, but with only two other hits in the ballgame, the offense couldn’t string anything together.

Since the 2010/2011 season, PSUGA has never lost a game to PSU-Hazleton going a perfect 12-0 during that stretch. They have scored under 13 runs against Hazleton only four times in those 12 games played as well. Their offense will be looking for the boost as they try and supply some run support for their pitchers.

Probables: Game 1: Dan Daly; Game 2: TBD

Dan Daly (Glassport, Pa./South Allegheny) takes the mound for PSUGA in game one of the doubleheader as the second senior leader atop the PSUGA rotation. Last season, he pitched to a 2-6 record with a 6.35 ERA in 51 innings of work. Hits were a problem for Daly last season as he gave up 57 hits in 51 innings of work, However, he was able to strike a lot of guys out leading the PSUGA staff with 38 strikeouts in those 51 innings. PSUGA has not yet named their starter for the second game of today’s doubleheader.

First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Cal Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach. Game two will follow the first game and is scheduled to begin around 5 p.m.