MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg's baseball team used the long ball to roll to a 14-6 non-conference victory over Susquehanna on Tuesday afternoon, March 28.

Kevin Lehner had another massive outing, launching a pair of home runs and adding a double. It was his second multi-homer game in the last three days. Matt Parks also homered and doubled, while Maddux Ryan was the third player to go yard. Dallas Hite and Brendan Henn scored three runs apiece, Josh Berzonski secured his third win of the season on the mound and Simeon Davis struck out four in 2.1 innings of relief.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Penn State Harrisburg (15-5) overcame an unlucky start, weathered a Susquehanna (12-8) charge midway through the ballgame, and used plenty of offense to pull away from the River Hawks in the final innings.

The visitors struck first to begin the game, with a pop up lost in the sun proving the catalyst for a two-run first inning for Susquehanna. The Lions answered right back in the bottom half, however, with Hite and Henn scoring on passed balls to tie the game after one.

Henn put the home team ahead for the first time in the second thanks to a two-out RBI single up the middle that plated Hite from second base before Parks and Lehner smashed back-to-back home runs to push the lead to 6-2 through two.

The River Hawks got going again in the fourth and used three hits and an error to put up three runs and cut the deficit to 6-5 but Berzonksi limited the damange when he forced a ground ball to third baseman Blaine Waltimyer that stranded the tying run at third and preserved the lead.

After a scoreless fifth, Penn State Harrisburg went back to work in the sixth and tacked on an insurance run when Henn's bunt single led to a Susquehanna error and allowed Tim Haftl to cross the plate. Parks drove in Hite with a sacrifice fly and Henn made it 9-5 when he scored on another wild pitch. Lehner followed it up by blasting his second solo home run of the afternoon over the fence in left field and Ryan matched him with a shot to left center one at-bat later. Before the stanza was through, the Lions stretched the advantage to 13-5 thanks to a wild pitch and passed ball that plated Drew Bechtold and Lucas Floyd, respectively.

Lehner capped his big day with an RBI double that pushed Parks across in the seventh, while Davis and Joel Sneeringer combined for three scoreless frames of relief before Ethan Hannevig wrapped things up with three strikeouts in the ninth.

NOTABLES

- In total, Penn State Harrisburg had seven extra-base hits, including four home runs and three doubles.

- Lehner finished 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, a walk, three RBI, and two runs scored.

- Lehner's multi-homer outing is his second in the last three days after he also achieved the feat in a win over Penn State Berks on Sunday.

- Parks went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, three RBI, and a pair of runs scored.

- Ryan finished 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.

- Hite scored three runs and racked up three stolen bases.

- Henn was 2-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored, an RBI, and a stolen base.

- Haftl went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, and a stolen base in his first collegiate start.

- Berzonski earned the win in the first start of his career, striking out four and allowing four earned runs.

- Davis threw 2.1 innings of relief and surrendered just two walks while striking out four batters.

WHO'S NEXT?

The Lions return to conference play when they host Gallaudet for the first contest of a three-game series on Friday afternoon.

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