By: Frank Maira, Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director

DuBois, Pa. – In the opening game of the USCAA Small College World Series, the No. 4 ranked Penn State Mont Alto squared off against the No. 5 ranked team Wright State- Lake Campus and behind an outstanding pitching performance from Zach Garlin (Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) the Nittany Lions prevailed by a 4-1 score. 

Wright State- Lake Campus notched in what turned out to be its lone run of the game on a solo homer from Siddharth Srinivasan. It was the lone mistake pitch of the game for Zach Garlin (Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) as the freshman lefty only allowed three opponent hits. He was on his game all morning long matching a season-high 10 strikeouts.

Trailing 1-0 entering the bottom of the third inning, Joseph Wunsch (Dover, Del. / Dover Area) woke the PSUMA bats up with a hard hit single right back up the middle. His courtesy runner Brady Cullen (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin) scored on an RBI single off the bat of Jared Pine (Mercersburg, Pa. / James Buchanan) and Hayden Kissel (Chambersburg, Pa. / Chambersburg Area) made it 2-1 with an RBI sacrifice fly.

Wunsch who finished 2-for-3 helped plate another Mont Alto run with a two-out single in the fourth frame, which was followed up by a Brady Bigler (Saint Thomas, Pa. / James Buchanan) single. Brady Cullen (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin) once again ran for the senior catcher and he he advanced on a wild pitch, while Bigler scored on the same sequence. The Nittany Lions added an insurance run on a Tyler Moreland (Spring Mills, W.Va. / Spring Mills) RBI double that made it 4-1.

With the win, Mont Alto matches a program-best 25 wins and advance to the winner's bracket semifinals game of the USCAA Small College World Series. PSUMA will square off against the winner of No. 1 seeded UC Clermont and No. 8 seed Penn State Brandywine tomorrow at 12:15 p.m.