Knights roll to school record for wins in a season, sweep Penn State Fayette in regular season finale
By Paul Miller
Knightly News Co-Adviser
Photos by Noah Lopez
Knightly News Reporter
The Central Penn College Knights baseball team ventured into immortality with a doubleheader sweep of Penn State Fayette, clinching a record for victories in a season in school history with 24. The Knights took Game 1 by a score of 12-2 and were victorious in Game 2, 11-6.
Game 1
With the ESAC Championship Game looming on Saturday, Coach Charles Stevens elected to have many of his key pitchers on the mound throughout the day, starting with William Baker III taking the hill in Game 1. Baker was nearly untouchable in his three innings of work, allowing only one hit and one walk while striking out three.
That boost on the mound gave the Knights’ bats an opportunity to make a statement, and that they did. Owen Zell, as he has all season, started off the bottom of the first with a ringing single, quickly stealing second base to put himself in scoring position. After Tyler Boyd moved Zell to third, David Thomas smashed a single to left, scoring Zell for the game’s first run. Thomas stole second and then third, scoring on a Nic Joseph double, giving the Knights an early 2-0 lead.
In the second, Terrell Smith-Cole battled through an at bat, walking, then stealing second. Zell’s second trip to the plate was equally as impressive as his first, driving in Smith-Cole to put the Knights ahead by 3. The Knights continued their offensive barrage in the third, with Joseph and Tanner McCoy delivering back-to-back singles. Then, Gabe Kaufman launched a double to the outfield wall, scoring Joseph for the team’s fourth run.
After Baker III’s day was completed, the Knights turned to senior Colten Zerby. And while Zerby somewhat struggled early in the frame by loading the bases, he illustrated his grit and determination on the mound, getting Dino Dolden to pop out to the end the threat for Penn State Fayette.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Knights started to pull away. After McCoy and Kaufman singles, Sam Royer added another single, bringing McCoy around to score. Then, Weston Campbell added another single, driving in Kaufman, followed by Smith-Cole driving in Royer, giving the Knights a comfortable 6-0 lead.
Penn State Fayette would no go away quietly in Game 1, though, pushing across two runs on Knights’ reliever Anthony Garcia. After a Johnny Ioannou double, Remington Lessman drove him home on a ringing liner to the outfield. Then, Manny Stitch added another RBI, driving in Lessman, bringing the game to 6-2.
But the Knights showed the fight they have, tacking on six runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game with a 10-run rule, 12-2. In the inning, Thomas smashed an RBI triple, Smith-Cole collected a two-RBI single, and Zell drove in another with a double.
The Weis Knightly News Player of the Game was Zell, going 4-for-5 with a run, two RBIs and four steals. Thomas was 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and two steals, while Smith-Cole was 1-for-2 with a run, 3 RBIs and a steal.
Game 2
Coach Stevens decided to go with another of his aces in Game 2, sending Wyatt Koser to the mound to help the Knights start on the right foot. This move worked out tremendously, as Koser only allowed one run in three innings while striking out six. He continued his dominance on the season, with 36 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings, a 9.92 K/9.
The Knights continued to provide ample run support for the pitching staff, scoring in each of the first six innings, leading to a game that was never in question.
Penn State Fayette got on the board in the first inning, Aidan Schnurer singled and advanced to second on a Lessman single. Then, James Knapton doubled to drive in Schnurer, giving Penn State Fayette the early lead.
The Knights would not be outdone on this day, though, as they fought back to answer in the bottom of the first. Owen Zell walked and immediately stole second, putting himself again in scoring position. The next batter, Boyd, doubled to the outfield, allowing Zell to cross home and tie the game. The offensive output continued for the Knights, as Gabe Kaufman drove in Thomas and Charles Lawrence with a two-RBI single, giving the Knights a 3-0 lead after one.
In the bottom of the second, the Knights were able to score two more times, both unearned, on two different errors by Penn State Fayette, as Smith-Cole and Zell both caused havoc on the basepaths, ultimately both scoring. The Knights led 5-0 after the second inning.
In the third, Smith-Cole continued his offensive outburst with a line-drive single which scored Sam Royer. Across both games, he was 3-for-4 with a walk and and four RBIs, easily his best offensive showing of the campaign. In the bottom of the fourth, Joseph drove in a run on a sacrifice fly, extending the Knights lead to 7-0.
In the top of the sixth, Penn State Fayette was able to string some hits together. After a Jaxon Monnard single and Johnny Ioannou double, Schnurer drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. But Knights pitcher Colby Criswell settled down, otherwise blanking Penn State Fayette in his final regular season appearance. The Knights held a 7-2 lead going to the bottom of the fifth.
The Knights continued their on-base powess in the fifth, as Darwin Cruz drove in Jaiden Baltimore with a single and Zell again produced an RBI single, driving the score to 9-2.
After the Knights tacked on two more in the bottom of the sixth, Penn State Fayette made it interesting in the top of the seventh. Fueled by four walks and a hit batsman by Knights pitchers, Penn State Fayette pushed four runs across and had the bases loaded, threatening to make an amazing comeback. But Gavin Jones was able to get Aidan Newmeyer to pop out to the shortstop, ending the rally and giving the Knights the victory, 11-6.
The Weis Knightly News Player of the Game was, again, Zell, going 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, two runs and four steals. Across both games, he stole eight bases and was consistently on base for the Knights. Thomas went 2-for-3 with two runs, and Baltimore went 2-for-2 with two runs.
With these home victories, the Knights improved to 24-10, surpassing the all-time wins mark of 22 set in 2024. While the regular season has completed for the Knights, they have set their sites on Saturday’s ESAC Championship game versus rival Bucks County Community College. The game will take place at FNB Field at 1 p.m.
