By: Frank Maira, Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director
Gettysburg, Pa. – The Penn State Mont Alto baseball team rallied from an early 4-1 deficit and came away with a rare 8-8 tie against Gettysburg College in a non-conference game that was called after 10 innings due to darkness Thursday evening.
The Lions (2-12-1) opened the scoring in the top of the first after Colby Black, Matt Taylor and Tyler Martin each drew walks to begin the game. Gettysburg immediately removed starting pitcher John Braun and sophomore Jack Havard came in relief and immediately struck out the first batter he faced before yielding the opening run on a Joel Clabaugh fielder's choice.
Gettysburg (12-7-2) responded in the bottom half of the inning tying it up at 1-1, and the Bullets would go on to push across three more runs in the fourth giving the home team a 5-1 advantage. The Lions came back with seven unanswered runs, scoring two in the fifth, four in the sixth, and one in the seventh inning to assume their 8-4 lead.
Mont Alto was poised to strike for more in the top of the seventh, but Will Gibson came on with runners on first and second and immediately induced an inning-ending fly out. The Bullets launched a comeback attempt of their own in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three times on three hits, two walks, and an error chasing PSU Mont Alto starter William LaRussa from the game. LaRussa's gave up six runs on 10 hits, while striking out three across seven innings of work. Jeremiah Younker made his second relief appearance of the season, he tossed three innings and was credited with giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits, and he struck out three batters.
The Bullets pulled even scoring an unearned run in the ninth. Wil Gibson worked a three-up, three-down 10th, but so did Jeremiah Younker in the bottom of the inning as Mont Alto settled for its first tie of the year. Colby Black and Brady Topper paced the Lions offensive attack with both recording two hits apiece.
Penn State Mont Alto returns to PSUAC play on Saturday, when it visits crosstown rival PSU Beaver at 2 p.m. for a doubleheader.
