(ALTOONA, PA:) Penn State Altoona right-hander Paul Keith
(Smithmill, PA/Moshannon Valley) played a major role in both ends of a
doubleheader Wednesday, collecting a save in game one and throwing nearly six
innings in game two as the Lions got past Mount
Aloysius in Cresson. Altoona scored four unanswered runs to win the opener
4-2 before squeezing out an 8-1 extra-inning victory in the nightcap. The
Lions improved to 17-21, 8-10 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference,
and currently have a hold on the sixth and final AMCC playoff spot. The
Mounties fell to 16-19 overall and 8-10 in the league.
After freshman Gerard Vath (Milford, NJ/Delaware Valley) hurled
a solid 6 1/3 innings of baseball for Altoona in game one but ran into trouble
in the seventh. With the Lions ahead 4-2, Vath issued a pair of walks
sandwiched around a strikeout that put runners on first and second with one out.
Head coach Joe Piotti brought in Keith, who needed only six pitches to whiff the
next two Mountie hitters and preserve the Altoona victory.
Vath scattered five hits and surrendered just two runs while
striking out six. The Mounties plated one run in each of the first two
innings via RBI doubles by Dan Clark and Josh McGinnis. The Lions answered
with an unearned run in the third as Nick Bucciarelli (Doylestown, PA/CB West)
scored after reaching on an error.
The Lions took the lead for good in the fourth, scoring three
runs on three hits. Tony Petulla (Osceola Mills, PA/Philipsburg) and Grady
Luzier (Forest, PA/West Branch) stroked back-to-back singles, and Chris Dixon
(Camp Hill, PA/Cedar Cliff) walked to load the bases with no outs.
Freshman Ryan Pollicino (Mount Union, PA/Mount Union) belted a two-run single,
and Dixon eventually scored on a Tyler Stiffler (Altoona, PA/Altoona) ground
ball double play.
Both teams combined for only nine hits. Mountie starting
pitcher Corey Leech took the loss after working three innings and surrendering
three runs. Reliever Chad Mattis pitched the final four innings and was
charged with one run.
In game two, Keith began the game on the mound for the Lions and
picked up right where he left off. The junior went 5 1/3 innings, allowing
six hits and only one earned run while fanning five. Mountie starter
Durell Hutzell-Ellis was equally impressive, pitching 6 2/3 innings while
scattering five hits and surrendering one unearned run.
The game was scoreless entering the bottom of the sixth when
Mount Aloysius got a one-out single from Harrison Anderson followed by an RBI
double by Clark, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead. After another single, Keith
was lifted in favor of Matthew McGrogan (West Chester, PA/West Chester
Henderson), who worked his way out of the inning and would eventually earn the
win.
Altoona, needing a run to stay alive in the top of the seventh,
took advantage of two Mountie errors to tie the game at 1-1. The hosts got
the first two outs of the inning before things literally fell apart.
Stiffler reached on an error by the right fielder, and Bucciarelli got on via an
error by the third baseman, allowing Stiffler to score.
Mattis entered the game in relief of Hutzell-Ellis, and the
Lions jumped on him in the top of the eighth, belting seven hits and scoring
seven runs to break the game wide open. Mattis got only one out in the
eighth before being pulled in favor of Jeff Woodruff, who was charged with three
runs. Pollicino hit a three-RBI double, and Chad Snook (Lewistown,
PA/Lewistown) belted a two-RBI double for the Lions.
McGrogan worked the final 2 2/3 innings, giving up just two hits
and no runs. Luzier, Pollicino, Stiffler, and Snook all had two hits
apiece in game two for the Lions.
Penn State Altoona is back in action this Sunday for a
non-league game against Franciscan. First pitch of the twin bill is set
for 1:00 PM at the Ivyside Field. Petulla and John Wilson will be
recognized as part of senior day.
CONTACT: Penn
State Altoona Sports Information
Steve Crider -- SID
814-949-5173
sac310@psu.edu
