WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's baseball team cruised to a convincing 16-3 victory over conference foe Penn State Abington at Wilkes' Bruggeworth Field on Friday afternoon to advance in the winners' bracket of the United East Championship Tournament.
Blaine Waltimyer had a three-hit day, doubling twice and scoring three runs, while Demetre Koutras III racked up five RBIs. James Quici drove in a pair of runs and scored two more, while Nathan Lapp and Tim Haftl also had multi-hit games. Fisher Druck gritted out his seventh win of the spring, allowing just two earned runs and striking out four in six innings of work.
It was a back-and-forth affair to begin the contest, with Penn State Abington (31-12) clawing to a 3-2 lead through three and a half frames but Penn State Harrisburg (31-12) roared to life in the bottom of the fourth, scoring seven runs on seven hits including extra-base knocks from Alexander Ruiz, Quici, and Waltimyer. Lapp drove in Ruiz after a leadoff double, Quici plated a pair with a double down the right field line, and Coy Schwanger's single off the first base bag scored Kevin Kingsbury and Quici before Waltimyer and Matthew Johansen closed out the inning's scoring with RBIs of their own.
Druck stranded a pair of Abington runners in the fifth before retiring the side in order in the sixth and Koutras pushed the lead to nine runs in the bottom half with a bases-clearing double that drove in Quici, Schwanger, and Waltimyer. An error later in the stanza allowed two more runs to come across and Lapp tacked on another with sac fly to center field.
Waltimyer and Koutras swatted back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the seventh to cap the game's scoring and the Penn State Harrisburg infield turned inning-ending double plays in both the seventh and eighth to end any potential rally for Penn State Abington. Reliever Landon Cochran closed out the contest with a 1-2-3 top of the ninth, including a strikeout to end the game.
NOTABLES
- Every Penn State Harrisburg batter in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit.
- Waltimyer finished 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs, and a pair of runs scored.
- Koutras doubled twice, drove in five runs, and scored one more.
- Lapp had a multi-hit day, tripling and driving in three runs.
- Quici finished with two hits including a double, a walk, a pair of RBIs, and two runs scored.
- Schwanger reached base three times, scored three runs, and drove in two more.
- Ruiz doubled, drove in a pair of runs, and scored two more.
- Haftl had a two-hit game and scored a pair of runs.
- Druck battled through some traffic on the basepaths to earn his seventh win of the season. He allowed just two earned runs and struck out four batters in six innings thrown.
- Benjamin Ross threw one scoreless inning of relief before Cochran closed out the game without allowing a hit in two innings of work.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions will face Lancaster Bible at noon on Saturday after the Chargers knocked off top-seeded Keystone on Friday afternoon. The winner of Saturday's contest will need to win just once on Sunday to capture the United East Championship.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.
