By: Frank Maira, Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director
Bel Air, Md. – Despite combining for a pair of doubles, a triple and a season-high 15 hits overall, the Penn State Mont Alto baseball team suffered a 16-7 road loss to Harford Community College in a nine-inning contest Friday evening.
Jeremiah Younker (Hagerstown, Md. / Williamsport) continued his hot start to the 2018 season going 3-for-4 at the plate, which included a bases clearing triple in the third inning. Overall, Mont Alto had five players finish with multi-hit games as Younker, Colby Black (Shippensburg, Pa. / Big Spring), Nick Jacoby (Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg), Hunter Martin (Hagerstown, Md. / North Hagerstown), and Nate Reiner (Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg) achieved the feat.
Harford opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning plating a pair of unearned runs off of PSUMA hurler Spencer Meyers (Greencastle, Pa. / Greencastle Antrim) before getting to the sophomore four more times within the inning including a three-run homer.
Mont Alto cut into the deficit in the top of third when Hunter Martin (Hagerstown, Md. / North Hagerstown) singled home Colby Black (Shippensburg, Pa. / Big Spring). Younker slashed his triple to right center field, which scored two making it 7-3. Mont Alto added another run when Brady Topper (Littlestown, Pa. / Littlestown) grounded into a fielder's choice, which scored Younker.
However, Harford would add to its lead in the bottom half of the inning with another three-run blast. The Owls then drew a bases loaded walk making the score 11-4. The Nittany Lion bats would respond in the sixth inning when Joseph Wunsch (Dover, Del. / Dover Area) slapped an RBI single through the right side. Colby Black (Shippensburg, Pa. / Big Spring) got on with an RBI on a sacrifice attempt that was botched by the opposing pitcher as Hunter Martin (Hagerstown, Md. / North Hagerstown) made it 11-7 with his RBI ground out.
Harford Community College answered in the bottom half of the frame with three runs of their own and concluded the scoring with a pair of insurance runs off relief pitcher Jack Dubyak (Charles Town, W. Va. / Washington) in the seventh inning.
Penn State Mont Alto return to action on Saturday, March 17 in the teams home-opener against Central Penn. The squads are scheduled to play a doubleheader with first pitch slated for 12 p.m.
