GRANTHAM, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's baseball team closed out the regular season in impressive fashion, ending (RV) Messiah's recent nine-game win streak with a convincing 9-1 road victory on Tuesday afternoon, April 28.
Blaine Waltimyer had a multi-hit game that included his eighth home run of the season, James Quici drove in a pair of runs, and Matthew Johansen scored two runs. Penn State Harrisburg pitchers combined to allow just three hits, with Benjamin Ross earning the win, and Dylan Sattazahn and Jack Maguire striking out two batters each.
After two scoreless innings, the Lions (28-12) broke through when Kevin Kingsbury and Quici swatted back-to-back doubles, with Quici's extra-base knock driving in a pair of runs. After Maguire retired the Falcons (28-11) in order in the bottom of the third, the visitors went back to work in the fourth, using three hits and a pair of Messiah errors to plate three more and stretch the lead to five runs.
The Falcons got on the board with a lone run in the bottom of the sixth but Penn State Harrisburg answered right back in the top of the seventh. Coy Schwanger came through in the clutch with a two-out, RBI single up the middle that drove in Nathan Lapp and Waltimyer followed with the game's biggest swing when he smashed a ball over the fence in right field to push the advantage to seven.
The Lions added an insurance run in the eighth when Tim Haftl's RBI groundout scored Johansen from third base before Aiden Bergholc worked out of a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout and groundout to Lapp at shortstop to end the game and seal the victory.
NOTABLES
- Tuesday's game was Penn State Harrisburg's 12th of the season against a team either nationally-ranked or receiving votes in the national polls.
- With the win on Tuesday, the Lions avenged an early-season, one-run setback to the Falcons.
- Waltimyer hit his eighth home run of the season, driving in two runs and scoring another.
- Quici doubled and drove in a pair of runs.
- Johansen walked twice and scored two runs.
- Haftl walked, drove in a run, and scored another.
- Sattazahn got the start and allowed just one hit to go along with two strikeouts in two innings of work.
- Maguire retired all six batters he faced, striking out two of them.
- Relievers Bryant Allison and Parker Zook threw one scoreless inning apiece.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions are set to host Valley Forge for a United East Tournament best-of-three series beginning with two games on Friday afternoon.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.
