MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg's baseball team left no doubt in a 27-7 victory over Penn College that clinched the program's third straight United East Championship and secured a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Brendan Henn was named the United East Tournament MVP after hitting .625 and slugging 1.615 with four home runs, nine runs scored, seven RBI, a double, and two walks across three victories. He went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs, five RBI, and four runs on Saturday. Lucas Floyd, Dallas Hite, and Blaine Waltimyer each went yard and Carlos Irizarry had a four-hit game.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Penn State Harrisburg (33-10) roared back from an early deficit and shook off a two-hour rain delay to score 26 of the game's final 28 runs in a convincing victory over Penn College (22-20) in the United East Championship Game on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions scored the game's first run in the bottom of the opening frame when Kevin Lehner singled to left field and drove in Brendan Henn but the Wildcats responded with two runs on two hits and an error in the top of the second. Penn College kept rolling in the top of the third, putting up three more runs thanks to solid station-to-station baseball that included four singles and a pair of passed balls.

The home team chipped away with two outs in the bottom of the third when Maddux Ryan's double to right center field plated Henn from first and Carlos Irizarry's RBI single scored Ryan to cut the deficit to two.

After Irizarry, Henn, and Ryan turned an inning-ending double play in the top of the fourth, Lucas Floyd drew the Lions to within one with a solo shot to right center field and Henn put the top seed out in front for good with a two-run blast to left center that brought Hite around with him. Before the stanza was through, Ryan drove in Matt Parks with a two-out single and Irizarry pushed Ryan across with a double to right field to increase the lead to 8-5.

The Wildcats showed life in the top of the fifth when Tyler Rudolph drove in Jacob Carles with a two-out single but Penn State Harrisburg matched the visitors in the bottom half thanks to an RBI ground out from Henn that scored Josh Lantz.

After reliever Simeon Davis worked a 1-2-3 top of the sixth, the Lions exploded for 14 runs in the bottom half that included home runs from Henn and Hite, doubles from Lantz and Floyd, RBI singles from Irizarry, Hite, and Waltimyer, and a two-hour weather delay smack dab in the middle of the stanza. The break did little to slow the Penn State Harrisburg bats, however, with the Lions scoring seven runs before the pause and seven more after play resumed.

The home team tacked on three more runs in the seventh thanks to an Irizarry single up the middle that plated Ryan Barthlow and a Waltimyer rocket two-run rocket to right field. Penn College scored their final run in the eighth and the Lions responded with their final run in the bottom half when Sam Merchant drove in Barthlow with a two-out single to center field.

NOTABLES

- Penn State Harrisburg will make its fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and fifth overall.

- The Lions won their third straight conference championship and fourth in program history.

- Henn went named the United East Championship Tournament MVP.

- Henn was 3-for-4 with two home runs, two walks, five RBI, and four runs scored.

- Irizarry finished 4-for-5 with a double, a walk, four RBI, and three runs.

- Ryan was 3-for-4 with a double, three runs scored, and two RBI.

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

- Hite went 3-for-6 with a home run, four RBI, and three runs scored.

- Waltimyer was 3-for-7 with a home run, four RBI, and three runs.

- Lantz doubled, walked twice, scored three runs, and drove in three more.

- Davis earned the win after throwing 3.2 innings of relief and allowing just one run on three hits to go along with four strikeouts.

- Kevin Maiolo sealed the win by striking out three of the five batters he faced, including the game-ending strikeout in the top of the ninth.

WHO'S NEXT?

The Lions now await their NCAA Regional destination. The NCAA Selection Show is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Monday afternoon, May 15.

STAY CONNECTED

Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.