Page 8 - The Behrend College Collegian Thursday, April 10, 1997 :ehrend gets some pitching in split with Hilbert Young arms look to be coming around for Lions by Matt Plizga Sports Editor Behrend's young pitching staff finally came out of a season long slump to give the Lions two good chances to win. Unfortunately the hot bats of the Lions cooled off in the opener of Tuesday's series with Hilbert College. The Lions wasted a terrific pitching performance by freshman Rob Green, losing to the Hawks 3- 2 in the first game. "The pitching was outstanding, yesterday" said Coach Paul Benim. Green gave up just five hits in six innings. He also had tremendous control striking out nine batters while walking only one. Senior Bill Vitron was the lone offensive star for the Lions in the opener The designated hitter had two hits and drove in both runs, bringing his season total to 14 RBI. The second game was much different as the Lions combined solid pitching with an onslaught of offense. photo by Dave Boulos Ouch! Shortstop David Williams does a split as he attempts to throw out a potential base runner Williams just a freshman is hitting .314 on the year. Lady Lions drop six straight by Brian Gregory ,Boons Editor The Penn State Behrend Lady Lion softball team has had a tough week. The Lady Lions were swept on Tuesday by Allegheny by scores of 10-0 and 4-3. They dropped a twinbill to St. John Fisher 5-0 and 8-1 and last week they dropped two to Fredonia by scores of 7-2 and 5- 4. In the opener on Tuesday, Beth Calhoun returned from her injury and faced a strong Allegheny line up. Allegheny used seven unearned runs in the first three innings to heat Calhoun and the Lady Lions 10-0. Behrcnd could only manage three hits over five innings as Allegheny pitfching struck out six. In the night cap, the Lady Lions took the early 1-0 lead. Lisa Fox singled with one out. She would eventually score on Casey Koza's single to right as Behrend took the Beth Calhoun led off the third with a double and was sacraficed to third by Lcah Miner. Shc scored on a fielder's choice by Casey Koza. With two outs, Tanya Deats drove in Koza with a haschit up the middle as Bchrcnd took the 3-1 photo by Mike Nies Where are you going! A Fredonia runner looks to steal home as the ball is returned to the pitcher. Behrend lost both games by scores of 7-2 and 5-4, dropping their record to 3-11. "In the second game we hit the baseball all over the yard" said Benim The Lions posted their third win of the season by a 15-1 score. Freshman David Williams led the hit parade with four hits and four RBIs. Fellow freshman Cory Walters smacked a pair of triples to go with a single for Behrend. Catcher Marc Burchanowski and first baseman Jeff Hortsman also had big games in the nightcap. Hortsman had three hits including a two run line-drive home run. Burchnowski had three hits in four at bats to raise his average. Sophomore second baseman Jon Green joined in the offensive fun by driving home three runs. Ryan Frederick pitched five innings for the Lions striking out five batters while walking only one. Sophomore John Ronan came on to work the final inning and struck out two of the three batters he faced. advantage on the snowy tundra of Allegheny College. But Allegheny rallied for three runs in the fourth and Bchrend couldn't get any back in the fifth. The game was called because of a driving snowstorm. "Yesterday was our best team effort yet," said Coach Gregory. The Lady Lions had some trouble with St. John Fisher this weekend. Leah Balmer scored the Lady Lions only run on a sacrafice by Jen Mertz as Behrend fell in the late game 5-i. In the first game, the bats stalled as the Lady Lions managed just three hits in five innings and St. John Fisher used four early runs to coast to victory 8-0. Last week, the Lady Lions battled Fredonia State. Things looked bright for the Lady Lions as Dowdy singled to lead off the game and was driven in on Balmer's fly to right. But no offense, and very little defense followed as FSU used five unearned runs to get the victory over Mertz and Co. 7-1. The night cap proved to be an exciting game on home soil. Fredonia scored three runs in the second to take the early lead. But, Hopefully Tuesday's performance by the Lions will break them out of a season long slump. "We saw a lot of positive things Tuesday" Benim said. The win put Behrend in the victory column for the first time since the Oberlin series. . After two impressive victories over Oberlin College the Lions lost four straight leading into Tuesday's action versus Hilbert. "The pitching was outstanding yesterday." --Coach Paul Benim Since beating Oberlin 4-2 and 8- 2 the Lions have faced the most difficult part of their schedule. Behrend lost 12-0 and 9-2 on April 3 against Fredonia College. Fredonia is 6-6 on the year. Behrend continued to chip away at it as the game went along. The Lady hitters got one hack in the third as Stacy Blass walked to lead-off the inning. She was knocked to (Second on a single by Dowdy and eventually sacraficed home by Lisa Fox. The Lady Lions got another hack in the fifth as Blass walked again to lead-off and was knocked home on Dowdy's double to pull the score to 4-2. Fredonia got one in the top of the seventh to bring the lead to three at 5-2. The Lady Lion bats came alive in the last stanza. With two outs, Dowdy, who had singled, scored on a triple by Balmer. Koza promptly knocked Balmer in to make the score 5-4. Calhoun, batting for Tammy Marsh, singled to put runners on first and second, But, Mertz popped out to the catcher to end the rally and the game. Mertz had a solid series striking Out five and giving up five earned runs in fourteen innings. Although the Lady Lions 3-11 record isn't exciting, Coach Gregory feels the team has really improved and come together as the year has gone along. orts Saturday April 5 the Lions faced powerhouse Allegheny College. The Gators are ranked 17th in the country with a 17-3 record. Berhend lost both games against the Gators by scores of 12-1 and 10-6. The shaky pitching staff of Behrend has been a major reason for the 3-19 record they have compiled this year. But the staff does appear to be coming around. "Our pitchers are getting more comfortable on the mound each game. They are putting us in position to compete each time out" said Benim. Another reason has been the difficult schedule the Lions have played. The young staff has not been helped by nagging arm injuries to some of its members. Although Behrend is struggling in some areas the team continues to hit the ball, Outfielder Jeremy Brubaker is having an impressive freshman campaign leading the team with a .382 batting average. Brubaker is second on the team with 21 hits with a team leading six doubles. He has also stolen eight bases. Another freshman has contributed in a big way for Behrend. Catcher/Third baseman Dylan Stewart leads the team in extra-base hits with nine. Lately Stewart's hot bat has landed him more playing time in the field. Currently he is playing third base for the Lions. "Stewart has been hitting so well lately we've had to find a spot for him to play" said Benim. He is hitting .361 on the year while driving in nine runs. Stewart pairs with fellow catcher Marc Burchanowski to give Berhend a potent duo behind the plate. Burchanowski is hitting .347 with nine runs batted in while sharing catching duties with Stewart. Sophomore Jeff Hortsman has cooled down after a torrid start, but not much. The first baseman is hitting .377 and scored a team leading 15 runs. Senior Quinn McGuire continues to move up in the Behrend record Spring golf by Matt Plizga Sports Editor Behrend continued their spring golf season last weekend at the Malone College Spring Golf Invitational. The tournament was played at Tannenhauf Golf Course near Canton, Ohio. "The course was in great shape" said coach John Gorman The tournament featured several Division II teams and NAIA schools. Behrend was one of the only schools in the tournament that cannot give scholarships. "The weather was beautiful on Friday. It was good to get out and Tennis team takes a needed break By Lloyd Dobler Collision Staff A college tennis season can be grueling on a student athlete, both mentally and physically. Coach Keenan saw the long faces at the end of his practices and realized that his team needed an emotional lift. He enlisted in the help of several pastimes that really do not have much to do with tennis. "We were in the middle of a losing streak and had a week off with no matches, so I figured it would be a good time to take a break." The Netters still hit plenty of tennis balls, but practice always Mertz wins Athlete of the Week honors by Brian Gregory Sports Editor With Heather Norder moving on to State College to pursue her education, a new star pitcher has moved into the spotlight for Penn State-Behrend. Jen Mertz is in her sophomore year at Penn State Behrend, but it is her first year pitching for the Lady Mertz is only 1-8 on the year. She has given up thirty-five runs this year, struck out fifteen, and walked seventeen in 39 innings this year. But, it' not her record that's the reason for her being named this week's Housing and Food Services ,~ ... photo by Dave Boulos The wind up and the pitch! An unidentified Behrend pitcher delivers a pitch to the plate. The Lions pitching staff is continuing to improve with each outing. hooks. As the teams teas-ott man McGuire has got the job done. He is batting .309 with a team leading 21 hits and 12 runs scored. McGuire also has a team high 12 stolen bases. Freshman Cory Walters and David Williams have also been a big part of the Lions offense. "We saw a lot of positive things on Tuesday." --Coach Benim Walters is hitting .340 with eight runs batted in. He is also second on the team with two triples. Williams is hitting .314 with six RBl's while providing solid defense at the shortstop position. season tees play in that type of weather against that type of competition" said coach Gorman. The host team, Malone won the tournament by shooting an outstanding 598. Oakland finished second with a 603. Behrend finished in tenth place by shooting a 654, just four strokes behind Mercyhurst College. Individually Behrend's Dave Koster and Chris Donalies scored well finishing near the top twenty five. Koster fired a team best 157, while Donalies scored a 159 in the two day tournament. The low medalist of the tournament was Malone's Chris ended with a "fun" activity. The team seemed to enjoy the common practice of kite flying the most. This idea was proposed by freshmen Wes Miller, who later earned the nickname "The Kite Master." This stems from his natural skills in kite flying. "Kite flying has been a large part of my life for years; I find it relaxing and exhilarating," commented Miller. Freshmen Phil Defabio holds the team record for highest kite flown (a remarkable three rolls of 250 foot string were in use). "I have to give most of the credit to the monstrous Athlete of the Week. In fact, judging by her performance over the last two weeks, she's very comparable to the Energizer Bunny. With Cliiioun unable to pitch due to injury, Mertz stepped into her spot and pitched in all six of Behrend's games in the last two weeks. Against Fredonia, her performance was unbelievable. She gave up only five earned runs in the two games, but suspect defense gave her the two losses. However, in the two games, Mertz pitched fourteen innings in one day. In fact, one five hour period. Name a major league pitcher that can pitch fourteen Behrend is hitting over .300 as a team. Unfortunately they haven't been able to find enough fresh arms to pitch. The staff earned run average of 8.58 per game is a major concern. After a shaky start the young arms seem to be setting down though. Rob Green owns one of the Lions wins on the year and has their only two complete games. His 4.50 ERA is the lowest on the team Ryan Frederick earned one of the staffs other wins Tuesday at Hilbert. He has pitched 22 innings on the year and has an ERA of 6.59 that he continues to lower with each outing. Behrend will look to start a winning streak Thursday when they face Thiel College. The opening pitch will be thrown at I :00 pm. off in Ohio Reuscher. He shot a 141 three strokes fewer than Scott Savage of Mt. Vernon. Coach Gorman will lead his troops back to action Saturday in the Pitt-Bradford Spring Classic. The Lions won the Bradford fall tournament behind the low medalist play of Koster. "As long as the weather stays nice, we should fair well" said Gorman. Behrend will resume its spring golf schedule on April 14 at Washington and Jefferson. The Lions will end the season with the Penn State-Behrend Invitational played at Riverside Country Club. winds rolling off the shores of Lake Erie," exclaimed Defabio. Other hobbies explored were golf, Frisbee, and basketball. Coach Keenan hopes that this unusual coaching technique will pay off as his team faces the physical strain of six matches in five days. "This week off came at the right time, we needed a rest and now I feel we are focused and ready to make a run at a winning record," exclaimed Keenan. Come out and see the Netters in action Friday, April 11, when they battle the Fighting Scots of Edinboro University. innings in one day, striking out five and walking only three. Against St. John's, Mertz pitched twelve innings in the two games. She again picked up both losses, but struck out five and pitched strong. She pitched in her fifth straight game on Tuesday against Allegheny as she pitched one inning of two-hit relief. She almost got the win in the night cap as she gave up just two earned runs in the four inning affair. Mertz and the Lady Lions will be back in action this weekend as they hope to improve on their 3-11 record. Come out to the softball field and cheer Mertz on
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