Knights rally for doubleheader split versus Penn State York
By Paul Miller
Knightly News Co-Adviser
The Central Penn College Knights baseball team split a doubleheader with Penn State York on Tuesday, dropping the first game 9-5 while picking up the victory in the second game 2-1.
Coming into this contest, the Knights had been on fire recently, winning nine of their previous 11 games. With the momentum in their favor, the Knights were poised to have a solid showing against a tough Penn State York team.
Game 1
Jowan Morales started the game for the Knights, but had a rocky start. For Penn State York, Ryan Ness reached on an early error, then stole a base to put him in scoring position in the first inning. Ness scored on the next batter, as Michael Newsome drove him in with a deep line drive. Then, AJ Miller doubled in Newsome, and Ryan Schubert launched a home run into the left-field stands.
Though the Knights were able to get out of the first inning, they trailed 4-0 before they could take an at bat. Over the next three innings, Penn State York’s Jackson Lauzon was in control, only allowing one baserunner while facing the minimum in dominant fashion.
In the third inning, errors started to pile up for Central Penn. Two errors in the frame led to two more runs for Penn State York, capped off by a Brian Hauer liner that was mishandled, allowing another run to score. After three innings, the Knights trailed 6-0.
The Knights tried to fight back in the bottom of the fourth, starting with an Owen Zell walk. After back-to-back flyouts, Kyle Brent singled and Nic Joseph was hit by a pitch, giving Central Penn the bases loaded. Even though Gabe Kaufman gave the ball a ride, it was ultimately caught without the Knights pushing across a run.
Penn State York continued their offensive barrage, as Colin Heaps drove in two more runs in the top of the fifth with a single against Jordan Spadafore. Spadafore was able to get out of the inning without any further damage, but the Knights trailed 8-0.
With their backs against the wall, Central Penn was able to get things going in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ryan Mahar, who pitched a fantastic fifth inning, could not find the plate in the sixth, walking Zell and David Thomas consecutively. Tanner McCoy was able to single, with Brent knocking in a run after grounding out. After Thomas scored on a passed ball, Cameron Smiley had a two-run double, keeping hope alive for the Knights.
Penn State York was able to finish the sixth inning without any further runs crossing the plate, and were able to add a run in the top of the seventh to lead 9-4. In the bottom of the seventh, Terrell Smith-Cole was able to score another run, but the Knights were otherwise quiet, dropping the first contest, 9-5.
Smiley was the Weis Knightly News Player of the Game in the first contest, going 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs. Brent was also 2-for-4 with a stolen base in the loss.
Game 2
In the second game of the doubleheader, both team’s pitchers tossed masterful contests. Eli Weigle took the hill for the Lions, while senior Colten Zerby started for the Knights, with neither disappointing their respective teams.
The first two innings were quiet for both lineups, though the Knights managed to push a run across in the second. After Joseph singled and stole a base, Kaufman drove him in with a single to the outfield, giving the Knights the opportunity to play from ahead in the game.
But Penn State York would answer in the top of the third inning. An error for the Knights allowed Hauer for Penn State to get to second base, followed by a steal of third. Then, Gavin Constein drove Hauer in with a sacrifice fly, tying the game at one.
But Zerby answered with one of his best games of the year from that point on, allowing only one more hit for the rest of the game. Weigle met the challenge though, keeping the Knights off of the board until the bottom of the fifth inning.
In the Knights’ half of the fifth, Thomas launched a double to the outfield, giving the Knights a runner in scoring position to lead off the inning. Then, Brent reached base on an infield hit and moved Thomas to third, followed by a McCoy sacrifice fly. This gave the Knights the lead 2-1, a score that would ultimately end up being the winning margin.
But the story for Central Penn was Zerby, winning the Weis Knightly News Player of the Game. He tossed a complete game, allowing only one run on two hits, walking just one batter. This start was exactly what the Knights needed during the homestand, with the Knights allowing more than one run only once over the last five home games.
For the Knights, Joseph was 1-for-3 with a run and a steal, while Kaufman was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
With the split of Tuesday’s games, the Knights improved their record to 11-5, while Penn State York fell to 6-9. The Knights will take on Notre Dame College of Maryland on Friday afternoon before returning to FNB Field on Sunday for a doubleheader against ESAC conference opponent Christendom at 1 p.m.
