Baseball Has a Great Opening Weekend of 2-1
The Penn State Fayette baseball team went 2-1 over the weekend as it continues to prepare for Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) play.
On Saturday, the Nittany Lions gave head coach Ryan Encapera his first official win as head coach in a 13-1 win over Point Park Reserve after having three last year filling in as head coach.
"We had a big first inning and it was good for us," said Encapera. "We were able to get runners on and guys drove them in. It was a fun game to play and we were able to get a lot of guys in the game. Zim (Nate Zimcosky) had a fantastic game and Andrew (Despot) had a great game as well. Kole (Koontz) had a really good appearance on the mound and earned his first college win as a pitcher. He could have gone longer but we pulled him."
Six Nittany Lions had multiple hits as the team pounded out 18 hits for the game, and they were led by Zimcosky's (Uniontown, PA/Laurel Highlands HS) four hits. The sophomore had a home run, two doubles and a single while driving in four runs and scoring three. Despot (Moon, PA/Moon Area HS) had three hits, including two doubles, Cade Warrick (Mill Run, PA/Connellsville HS) had two doubles and two RBI while Josh Burns (Uniontown, PA/Laurel Highlands HS), Matt Morgan (Eighty-Four, PA/Ringgold HS) and Chase Burd (Connellsville, PA/Connellsville HS) each had a pair of singles. Not only did Fayette have seven extra-base hits, but it also stole four bases.
On the mound, Koontz (Dawson, PA/Connellsville HS) went six innings and struck out five while giving up six hits and a walk. Dylan Bohna (Uniontown, PA/Laurel Highlands, PA) worked an inning of relief and gave up a hit while striking out one.
Originally, Fayette was to play Point Park Reserve on March 19, but the game was moved up.
"It was a memorable event and we worked really hard to get everything in order (for Saturday)," Encapera said. "We want to have a good program and it has to start somewhere. It was a nice day in March and to (get his first official win) on our home field, it was special."
On Sunday, Fayette split a double header with CCAC Boyce, losing 11-5 in the opener and winning the nightcap, 5-1.
"Both of our pitchers worked pretty hard out there today," Encapera said after the games Sunday. "Things didn't quite go like we wanted for Kaleb (Scott), but Chris (Rendulic) was fantastic. He had a great outing and was really on. We got another big day from Zim. He was all over the place. I am happy with how we played for the most part. We could have played better defensively, but we will work on it. It was good to be out there against a pretty solid junior college program. I am really happy about today."
In the opener, Fayette fell behind 5-0 early and while it was only down 7-5 after five innings, Boyce scored three in the sixth and one in the seventh to put the game away.
Warrick and Kaleb Scott (Uniontown, PA/Laurel Highlands HS) each had two singles to pace Fayette while Despot had a double. Scott took the loss on the mound as he gave 10 runs, nine earned, on 11 hits in 5.2 innings.
In the second game, Rendulic (Port Vue, PA/South Allegheny HS) went the distance and only allowed one run on four hits. Zimcosky had a double, a triple and three RBI for Fayette while Burns added a double of his own.
The Nittany Lions head to Myrtle Beach Thursday through Saturday for five games at The Ripken Experience. Fayette plays College of DuPage Thursday on Griffith Field at 5:15 p.m. On Friday Fayette plays a double header against Mid Michigan College at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Both games will be played at Crosley Field. On Saturday, Fayette plays Chesapeake College at 3:00 p.m. and against Middlesex College at 6 p.m., with both games also being played on Crosley Field.
For more information on the Penn State Fayette baseball team, go to https://www.psathletics.com/sports/bsb/index or follow the team on Instagram @fayetteathletics.