Five Home Runs Lift Baseball in Altoona Split

DUBOIS, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend baseball hit five home runs in the second game on an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) double header Saturday that lifted them to a split against Penn State Altoona, losing 4-3 and winning 21-8, respectively.

In their win, Justin Foreman (Oakdale, PA/South Fayette) roped two homers while David Boehme (Venetia, PA/Seton-La Salle), Scott Sada (Saegertown, PA/Saegertown) and Zach Murray (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) all hit long balls to give the Lions (15-11, 6-4 AMCC) one win on the day.

Behrend got their bats going in the second inning and did not slow down. In the top of the second in game two, Behrend put eight runs on the board, including a two-run homer from Foreman followed by a three-run bomb by Boehme.

With the score 8-1, Sada smacked a grand slam in the top of the third that extended the Lions lead to 12-1.

Behrend kept in rolling in the fourth inning. Ryan Weaver (North Huntingdon, PA/Norwin) doubled to right center field that scored two. Murray picked up two RBIs in the inning as well, smacking a home run to left center field to push the lead to 16-1.

Foreman laced a home run solo shot to left center in the top of the fifth for his second homer of the day.

Murray, Holden Stevanus (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep), and Dom Charletta (West Newton, PA/Yough) all notched RBIs in the eighth to end the scoring for the Lions, making the final score 21-8 against the Altoona Lions (8-16, 5-6 AMCC).

Sada led the team with five RBIs, batting 2-for-3 from the plate. Murray tallied four RBIs in the game. Mason McGuire (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) went a perfect 4-for-4, while Foreman batted 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

Eric Mikulan (Pittsburgh, PA/Hampton) posted his first win of the season on the mound for Behrend. He threw three innings, striking out five and allowing two earned runs. Brandon Smail (Apollo, PA/Kiski Area) tossed four innings on the hump, giving up six hits while also fanning five.

The Lions struggled at the plate in game one. They could only register three runs on three hits, while Penn State Altoona recorded four runs in the bottom of the sixth to pick up the win.

In the top of the third, Stevanus drew a walk, stole two bases, and scored from a McGuire groundout to put Behrend up 1-0.

In the sixth, the Lions pushed the lead to 3-0 from a Boehme sacrifice fly and a Ryan Hamm (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) sacrifice bunt.

Penn State Altoona, however, tallied four runs in the bottom of the sixth that gave them a 4-3 lead they held for the final inning.

McGuire and Murray were the only players to have hits in the game. McGuire went 2-for-3 while Murray battled 1-for-2.

Behrend hosts Pitt-Greensburg tomorrow for an AMCC double header. The games are set for 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.