Baseball Splits With Susquehanna

FORT PIERCE, Fla. – The Penn State Behrend baseball team split a doubleheader with Susquehanna on Friday afternoon in non-conference action.  The Lions fell 4-0 before getting even with a 5-3 victory.

In game one, Susquehanna starter Spencer Hotaling was lights out.  He held the Behrend offense in check, throwing a complete game shutout with just three hits allowed.

John Hlavinka (Venetia, PA/Peters Township), Jordan Weinzierl (St. Marys, PA/St. Marys), and Tommy Kocur (Erie, PA/McDowell) were the only Lions to record hits.

Behrend got some revenge in game two to earn the doubleheader split.

The Lions (5-2) jumped on the Crusaders early, scoring two runs in the first inning, one in the second, and one in the third.  Hlavinka came around to score the game's first run after Nate Liddle (DuBois, PA/DuBois) ripped a single to right field.  Evan Bukowski (Washington, PA/Trinity) followed with an RBI single to push across Vinny Rice (Harmony, PA/Seneca Valley) who reached on a walk.

In the second, Kocur walked to start the inning and advanced to second after Taylor Overby (Nazareth, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt.  Two batters later, Hlavinka drove in Kocur with a hustling RBI double.  Corey Bowers (Westlake, OH/Westlake) recorded his first career hit and RBI with a double in the third to put the Lions up 4-1.  Behrend tacked on an insurance run in the sixth to give Justin Wood (Allegany, NY/Allegany Limestone) all the support he needed.

Wood threw 6 1/3 innings, allowing just two runs on three hits and one walk. The sophomore hurler struck out a career-high seven batters to earn the win. 

The Lions will wrap up the Florida schedule with a game versus Muhlenberg at 9 a.m. tomorrow.