The No. 2 Penn State Behrend baseball team won its seventh AMCC Championship in program history with a 7-1 victory over No. 6 La Roche University Sunday afternoon. The title marks the first one for the Lion baseball team since 2021.

Penn State Behrend freshman ​David Gibson got the Lions on the board first with an RBI single in the bottom of the first. ​Behrend then took a 2-0 lead in the third inning, thanks to a run batted in from Barnes. ​In the bottom of the fourth, the Lions scored a pair of runs off an error by La Roche to extend their advantage to four (4-0). 

 

​Christian Melendez plated the first run of the game for the Redhawks with an RBI single in the top of the sixth.

Behrend's ​Thomas Nicely tacked on two more runs for the Lions in the seventh inning with a two-run single. ​Barnes capped off Behrend's conference championship with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the eighth. ​In his first collegiate postseason start, Bredel threw 7.2 innings, allowing only one run on eight hits with six strikeouts to earn his fourth win of the season. ​Fellow freshman Jake Manendo came on in relief and tossed 1.1 hitless innings with no walks and a strikeout. ​Barnes recorded a game-high three hits and two runs batted in, while Deitz tallied two doubles for the Lions

​For La Roche, Casey Jones and Brandon Snyder each delivered two hits apiece

Up Next: ​The Lions have earned the AMCC automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and await the NCAA Division III selection show this Monday at noon.

 

All-Tournament Team
Penn State Altoona - Aidan Donovan and Grayson McClain 
Hilbert - Ryan Hilton and Jairo Santos
Mount Aloysius - Tyler Quade and Brandon Cook
Alfred State - Ryan Bailey, Josh Gardner
La Roche - Larry Bielawski, Casey Jones, Tanner Schmitt
Penn State Behrend - Dylan Barnes, Andrew Bredel, Spencer Deitz