Roaring Lions Swept by Penn State Greater Allegheny

April 3, 2012

WASHINGTON, Pa. - Penn State Fayette struggled at the plate on Tuesday afternoon, getting shut out 14-0 in game one before falling 10-0 to conference leader Penn State Greater Allegheny at Consol Energy Park in Washington, Pa.

The Roaring Lions' offensive woes started early and continued through the day, as Greater Allegheny kept Fayette off the basepaths and scoreboard. Fayette (4-14, 2-6 PSUAC) went down in order in six of the 11 innings played, and advanced only one runner to third base on the day.

GAME ONE: Penn State Greater Allegheny 14, Penn State Fayette 0 (5 innings)

Greater Allegheny jumped out to an early advantage in the first game, as two singles and an error made the score 1-0. Sam Weightman then hit a two-run home run off of junior starting pitcher Nolan Zavora (Charleroi, Pa.) to give the Lions a 3-0 lead.

After Fayette went quietly in the first, Greater Allegheny jumped on the board again in the second, this time pushing across four runs for a 7-0 lead. After another silent home inning, the Lions added two more runs in the third, but sophomore reliever Connor McKeel (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) stranded two more runners to limit the damage.

The Roaring Lions threatened in the home half of the third, as senior Jonathan Eicher (Uniontown, Pa.) and sophomore Chris Jeffrey (Garard's Fort, Pa.) each cracked one-out singles, and advanced to second and third on errors. Following a walk to freshman AJ Tworzydlo (Centerville, Pa.), junior Cody Ward (Connellsville, Pa.) flew out to center field for the second out, and Eicher was cut-off at home to end the threat.

A scoreless fourth inning led to an outburst from Greater Allegheny in the fifth, as the Lions plated five runs on six hits, including a two run triple from Oliver Girman, to invoke the mercy rule.

In two-plus innings of work, Zavora gave up nine runs, only three of them earned, on ten hits. McKeel added three innings of five-run ball, including seven hits, two walks and two strikeouts. Freshman Colvin Adey (Connellsville, Pa.) and sophomore Alex Fogle (Connellsville, Pa.) added the other two singles for Fayette, as the Roaring Lions managed only four hits off of Greater Allegheny starter Jonathan Lutz.

GAME TWO: Penn State Greater Allegheny 10, Penn State Fayette 0 (6 innings)

Freshman starting pitcher Harold McCutcheon (Claysville, Pa.) found some early success in game two, keeping the Lions off the board in the first two innings. But Fayette could not grab a lead, as Ward's first inning single was the only hit the Roaring Lions managed in the first two frames. Ward grabbed both of Fayette's hits in game two, adding a single in the fourth.

Greater Allegheny seized control in the third, as two singles sandwiched a fielder's choice. But McCutcheon balked home the game's first run and Adam Wehr tripled to give the Lions a 2-0 lead. Weightman singled home Wehr and the 3-0 lead is all Greater Allegheny would need.

Wehr added a two-run single in the fourth for a 5-0 advantage, but McCutcheon kept Greater Allegheny in check through the fifth. Despite Adey reaching second base in the home half of the fifth, Fayette could not get on the board, as starter Eddie Emes threw five innings of shut-out ball, striking out nine and surrendering only two hits to Fayette.

Greater Allegheny added five runs in the sixth, and Lions reliever Oliver Girman tossed a perfect sixth to give Greater Allegheny a 10-0 win in six innings.

Fayette returns to the diamond on Saturday, April 7 at noon as they host Boyce Community College in a non-conference doubleheader at Hutchinson Park in Hopwood, Pa.