By: Frank Maira, Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director
MONACA, Pa. – The Penn State Mont Alto baseball team bested PSU Beaver 8-5 in the final matchup of a three-game series between the teams on Wednesday afternoon. Mont Alto (9-10, 5-1 PSUAC) completed the season series sweep after picking up a pair of wins in Tuesday's home doubleheader and currently sit in second within the PSUAC West.
Mont Alto picked up where they left off yesterday, plating home a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Colby Black (Shippensburg, Pa. / Big Spring) led the game off with a walk and scored on a wild pitch during a Jeremiah Younker (Hagerstown, Md. /Williamsport) at-bat. Chance McClure (Chambersburg, Pa. / Chambersburg Area) also scored after reaching on a single to give his team the 2-0 lead.
PSUMA starter William LaRussa (Arnold, Md. / Broadneck) worked through a scoreless bottom of the first, but gave up a pair of runs on a double in the second as Beaver tied it up at two runs apiece.
After a scoreless third, Mont Alto broke through in the top of the fourth inning when Colby Black (Shippensburg, Pa. / Big Spring) singled home teammate Joel Clabaugh (Landisburg, Pa. / West Perry). Beaver would respond in the bottom half of the frame when Shelton Hilliard poked an RBI single off of LaRussa to tie it back up.
The home team would plate a pair off relief pitcher Jack Dubyak (Charles Town, W. Va. / Washington) to go up 5-3 with only one of the runs being earned in the bottom of the seventh.
Freshman Joseph Wunsch (Dover, Del. / Dover Area) sparked the eighth inning rally with a one-out single and scored on a base knock from Nick Jacoby (Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg). Two more runs scored when Hunter Martin (Hagerstown, Md. / North Hagerstown) singled to center field and Mont Alto sealed the 8-5 victory on a delayed steal where Brady Topper (Littlestown, Pa. / Littlestown) stole second base and Martin stole home.
Dubyak earned his first collegiate win on the mound as Joe Morrett (Dover, Del. / Dover Area) worked through a perfect eighth and ninth innings for the save.
Mont Alto will look for its fourth-straight win tomorrow afternoon when it hosts Christendom College in a nine-inning contest. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m.
