Offense Falls Short for Baseball in Doubleheader Sweep

Mont Alto, PA. - The Penn State Greater Allegehny Baseball team (8-10, 3-5) struggled to score runs in their series opening doubleheader against Penn State Mont Alto on Saturday falling by scores of 8-0 and 5-1. After playing three 5ight games last weekend, the Mont Alto pitching staff got the best of PSUGA in the opener.

Game one started as a pitchers duel with neither team getting on the board for the first three innings of the game. Mont Alto would break through in the bottom of the fourth with a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead. Mont Alto would put the game away for good putting up six runs the very next inning to take a 7-0 lead into the sixth before winning 8-0.

Matt Smith (North Versailles, PA./East Allegheny HS) got the game one start and lasted six innings giving up seven runs on 10 hits while walking one batter picking up the loss. Four seperate players each picked up one hit in the game accounting for all of PSUGA's offense on the day. Looking to put the game one effort behind them, they would send Bert Hinton (Richmond, VA./Benedictine College Prep) to the mound looking for a spark.

After Mont Alto got on the board in the bottom of the first, PSUGA would push across their lone run of the day in the top of the second. Dylan Ernst (McKeesport, PA./McKeesport HS) tripled to start the inning bringing up freshman Diego Marzan (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico/Leadership Christian Academy). Marzan would answer lining an RBI single to the the game at one.

Mont Alto would respond with one in the third and three in the fourth to take a 5-1 lead and put PSUGA behind for the second time on the day. PSUGA could never find their groove from.there picking up just three hits over the final three innings as Mont Alto picked up a 5-1 win and the sweep of the doubleheader.

Marzan led the way for the offense going 2-3 and driving in the lone PSUGA run of the day while Ernst also added a 2-3 effort in the loss. Hinton, who has been strong out of the bullpen this year, lasted five innings giving up five run, four earned, on seven hits while walking one and striking out five. Zach Schmader (South Park, PA./South Park HS) threw the final two innings keeping Mont Alto off the board.

PSUGA now falls to 3-5 in conference play and looks to salvage the final game of the series on Sunday. With only two series remaining after this one, PSUGA will be looking to get back on track as they head into the heart of their Penn State University Athletic Conference playoff push.

Sunday's series finale is scheduled for 11 a.m. as PSUGA looks to salvage the series. The game will be played at the Mont Alto baseball field on campus