The #2 Penn State Behrend baseball team advances to the AMCC Championship Series with a pair of wins over #3 Mt. Aloysius College on Thursday. The Lions won 5-1 and 11-3.
In Game One, Behrend starter Thomas Zbezinski got his sixth win of the season, going the distance and throwing a career-high 11 strikeouts. Josh Wagner went 3 for-4 at the plate with two runs and an RBI. Wagner hit an RBI single to left field in the first inning to score Braden Paulinellie to get the Lions on the board. Behrend tallied three hits in the second, scoring a single run on Paulinellie's hit to send home CJ Weller. The Lions grabbed a 4-0 lead after the third with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. Wagner and Colin Harger started of with singles, before Juston Jones ripped an RBI single to the right-field line to get home Wagner. Harger scored on a ground out into a double play for a four-run lead. Wagner got his second run and the final for Behrend in the fifth off an Isaac Stouffer double.
In Game Two, Harger led the Lions with a perfect 5-for-5 performance, including four runs and two RBIs. Behrend scored three runs on three or more hits in the fourth, fifth and sixth inning to take a commanding 10-1 lead. Jones tallied four RBIs on three hits and scored two runs, while Tanner Cicchini smacked at two-run, two-out triple in the fifth. Mt. Aloysius struck first with two runners on and no outs in the first inning. Jeremy Ellimo hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Cody Smith from third for a 1-0 edge. The Mounties had six scoreless innings before getting a run in the eight and ninth innings. Behrend broke open a 1-all game in the fourth with three hits, starting with Harger singling to left field and score on Stouffer's hit to left center. Jacob Deitz scored a pair of runs with a single to left center for a 3-1 lead that would not relinquish. Jacob Lindow made his seventh start on the mound and collected his fourth win. Lindow struck out seven in seven innings of work and allowing six hits.
Behrend returns to action on Wednesday against the winner of #1 La Roche University and #4 Alfred State College. The championship series will be played at the highest remaining seed.