The Behrend Beacon Boyle overcomes brain to return to baseball diamond Jake Boyle had brain surgery eight days before he returned to school in August. Jake Boyle considers himself very fortunate. In the fall of 2000, he was playing intramural football at Penn State Behrend and suffered a COFICUS- sion after attempting to catch a pass, when he slipped and hit his head on an opponent's knee. le went to a local hospital for re view. After receiN, ing x-rays, an ab normality was discovered in the right frontal region of his brain that was to tally independent of the concussion. Subsequent MIZIs at the Cleveland Clinic led to the discover): that the ab normality was a grade II astrocytoma brain tumor. "I believe that everything happens for a reason. - said Boyle. "Why'? I am unsure as of vet. hut I'm confident that someday I will know why I was so lucky to discover the tumor early... Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic rec ommended surgery. Boyle then had to decide when to have it done. He was asymptomatic. hut encouraged by Women's tennis wins last three games before start of AMCC tournament by Kate I,evdansky Petrikis assistant sports editor The Behrend women's tennis team has been busy. The Lions played on Oct. 4 at Thiel, and won 7-2. Kiminy Asada and Michelle Braendel both won their singles matches, and - ■ -.Lew AmtAt iL‘ " 41' tv 1, 11 0011: 1 L15 ! : '» „ ,„ °"' PHOTO BY KRISTIN RODGERS Sophomore Jennie Zhang returns a shot to her opponent Saturday against La Roche. The Lions completely dominated the game, winning 7-0. his doctor to take of the tumor as soon as possible. Boyle had to weigh the tim ing of this discovery with schooling, playing his junior baseball season, and pursuing a summer baseball opportunity to play in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL). He decided to wait to have the surgery. The spring 2(X)1 baseball season was a struggle for the Behr - end Lions who played 33 of 38 games on the road be cause of the construction of their new baseball facility. The team finished 18- 20 after three straight seasons of 20 or more wins. But Boyle was as good as ever. He paced the team with a .4(X) bat ting average, a team-high eight home runs, 43 RBIs, 48 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases. He was named Co-MVP of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. Boyle became the all-time leader in batting average (.415), home runs (28), and RBIs (140) at Behrend. He has been evaluated by several major league clubs played as partners to win their doubles match. The Lions also won their next game, on Oct. 10 at Hiram, 4-3. "It was a tough match," said coach. Jeff Barger. Angela Albertson and Braendel were partners in what was the determining match. Albertson and Braendel were way down in the match, losing 7-4, but made a huge comeback to win the game 9-8. Behrend won its third consecutive game Oct. 13 at La Roche, 7-0. Asada and Lennys Redondo both had a great day, winning their singles matches 6-0, 6-0. However,more than two players helped pull out the victory. "Everyone played well, it was a team victory," said Barger. The Lions play Oct. 19 at Frostburg against Greensburg. The Lions go into this ~...) ..1- ...? r r iN , r-.) Friday, October 19, 2001 and was invited to a Pittsburgh Pirates pre-draft workout in June 2001. "Jake is arguably the best baseball player to ever wear a Behrend Lions uni form," said head baseball coach Paul Benim. Boyle is a plastics engineering tech nology major and earned a 4.0 GPA last semester. In addition to his junior year honors, Boyle has been named the team's MVP three times. recognized by Colle giate Baseball as a player to watch, was named to the NCAA's Mid-Atlantic All- Region Team in 2(XX), and named to the Dodge Truck All-American Farm Team. In his freshman year he was voted the Newcomer of the Year in the AMCC. At the end of the season Boyle pur sued an opportunity to play in a top notch collegiate summer league. He competed for the Eastern Tides of the NECBL. The league starts its summer season in early June and plays an eight week, 40-game schedule. The league championship is determined by a play oft in early August. Each year the top players are scouted and often selected in the major league baseball draft. "Undoubtedly, the NECBL was the most competitive baseball I have played, - said Boyle, a senior outfielder from Cambridge Springs. "As a result of the friends I made, the level of com petition I faced day in and day out, and my overall experience. I can say I not only grew as a baseball player but as a person as well Eastern fighting for a playoff spot during the stretch run, Boyle stepped up for the Tides, delivering a game-winning home run in the bottom of the 10th inning of a 2-1 victory over Concord. The win kept Boyle's crew one game hack of the Newport Gulls and helped the team earn a postseason berth by one game. In an elimination playoff game against Newport. Boyle hit a game-winning double in the bottom of the ninth with two outs to force game three. The Tides' season concluded the next night, and it was time for Jake to mentally prepare f i r his surgery. "Jake told me that he was having sur gery, and at first I was so shocked and I couldn't believe what I had just heard." said teammate Chris Shearer. "Jake was so calm about the whole situation and made it seem like it wasn't a big deal, that I really didn't think twice about the situation after that.'' Jake was scheduled for surgery on Aug. 9. After some hospital procedures and tests the day before. tollowed by a meeting in the afternoon, the hospital re alized they had made a change in the surgery schedule hut did not inform Jake match 5-2 in the conference and 8-9 overall. The AMCC championships start the following day, Oct. 20, at 9 a.m. Unfortunately, Redondo will not play this weekend because she is hospitalized. This will hurt the Lions' chances, but the team still has a positive outlook. "Going into this week, I thought we were coming together," said Barger. "Redondo's absence hurts, but the team will just have to pick up the slack. I still think we have a chance. However, we will be moving people around and different people will be playing together." Albertson should be the number one seed going into the AMCC's. Albertson is undefeated conference and only lost one match in doubles. This week, Albertson was named "Best of the Rest" by the AMCC. "Angela has played way above what I expected," said Barger. "She steeped up from number three last year, to number one this year. On a limb, Albertson will be conference player of the year." tumor and his family. Therefore, surgery was re-scheduled for the following week and left only eight days before the fall semester of classes started. On Aug. 16, Dr. Gene FL Barnett used the latest intraoperative Ml2l techniques during the I 2-hour surgery to remove the golf-ball sum tumor. The process was successful. The staff at the Cleveland Clinic was impressed with Jake's ability to bounce hack from the traumatic experience. He returned home two days after surgery and began a quick recovery. Boyle returned to classes eight days after surgery and has had no subse quent problems. "Our prayers were answered. - said Benim. "It was so positive to hear his family tell us that Jake was going to he fine." Boyle was expected to miss the en tire fall season and spend months re covering from surgery. Remarkably. he was cleared to play , during the final week and a half, and made an imme- diate impact. "Jake still has a road to travel, but he is healthy and happy. - said Benitn Senior Luke Bundy was impressed with Boyle's efforts. "After the surgery, Boyle showed me how much of a team player he is by calling the doctors and doing ev erything in his power to get hack on the field because he felt he was letting everyone down by not being there this fall," said Bundy. "'Nat just shows me how much heart and passion Jake has for the game and the team... Boyles follow-up to surgery con sists of only periodic MR IS, hut no ra diation or chemotherapy treatments. Ile knows he's fortunate though. ''Somebody once asked me it I ever wonder why such a terrible thing would happen to me. The answer to that is no. If brain surgery is one of the biggest obstacles I must overcome in my life. then I should consider myself lucky. I am surrounded by family and friends who provide me with urn support than I could ever ask tor. "Brain surgery seems trivial com pared to problems in the world such as the children who wake up every morning wondering if they , will hav e something to eat that day or those that walk home from school wondering whether there will he another slu)ot- ing in the neighhorhood or not Contributed by Paul Beni', Sports Information DireChn' at Penn State Hebrew( Allegheny hf ountapi Colleg iate Conference Water polo team gears for next competition staff writer This past weekend, the Lions returned to Grove City for the Eastern Cham pionships, but came away with three more losses on the season. The Lions lost to UMM 20-2. John Hopkins 16-3, and Grove City 17-13. The Lions have remained focused on their game though. "We led in every quar ter and lost the game in just the last few minutes," said Heynes about playing Grove City last weekend. "Against the HURST at W&J, we just underesti mated them and they came to win. We just made too many dumb mistakes and it cost us the game." singles This weekend, the blue and white participate in the Princeton Invitational, the last games before the Southern Championships at the U.S Naval Academy. Be sides concentrating on skills to improve on, Heynes emphasized a few needs. "First have fun!" said Heynes. "Second. heat mercyhurst again! Third, survive playing these nationally ranked ^~ V Weebles wobble, don't fall down The same can he said for the New York Yankees. Trailing two games to none in a best of-five series against the red-hot Oak land Athletics, the New York Yankees appeared to he headed tor their first play off series loss since 1997. But in true pinstripe fashion, the Yankees erased the deficit and overtook the A's. giving them new life in a post-season that had them wobbling hut, at the same time, refusing to fall down. You would think that a team that has won four of the past five World Series Championships would breeze through the playoffs. The Yanks, however, have quite a history of showing vulnerability in post-season play. But they are most remembered for their ability to pull through when it matters most. - 1996 Divisional Series in every game of the four-game series against the Yanks, including a 4-I lead in game mo, a 2-I ninth inning lead in game three. and a 4-I) lead in game four. The Yankees, ‘\ ho lost game one, won all three of the remaining games to win the series. I -9 1 g) Al .('S ersus Baltimore Orioles led tic \‘ York 4-2 in game one going into the seventh inning. The Yanks Freshman Casey Doody has played a big part on de fense for the Lions this season. ti e Out of Bounds Jason Snyder Cg , .A.te tacked on one run in the seventh, one in the and one in the 1 I th to win 5- New York trailed in three of the five 2iIIIICS, hut won the series 4- I. I )9( ) World Series Atlanta stole the first two games in New York and headed hack to Atlanta with a 2-0 series lead. The Braves outscored the Yankees 16-1 in the first two games and led game four by the score of 6-0 in the sixth inning. But New York would score three in the sixth, three inure in the eighth and two in the 10th to \k in 8-6. A Braves' win would have put the Yankees down three games to one with another game yet to he played in Atlanta. But New York's win in game four tied the series at two, giving the Yankees niomentom towards a 4-2 World Series win. - 1998 World Series - In a game one that seemed more important at the time than it does now the San Diego Padres huilt a 5-2 lead entering the seventh in ning at Nevi York. The Padres were three innings tma from gaining the early mo mentum by stealing home field advan tage ill the series opener. But the Yanks would score seven runs in the seventh off a three-run homer from Chuck Knohla and a grand slam from Tino behrcolls@aol.com Martinez to take game one 9-6 The loss seemed to take the wind out of the Padres' sails, who eventually were swept in the series 4-0. - I 999 ALCS versus Boston —The Red Sox also had a chance to steal a game in New York early in the series. In game two, Boston took a 2- I lead entering the seventh inning. But after holding the Yankees to only one run through six in nings, Boston gave up two runs in the seventh, giving the Yankees a 3-2 win. Boston led in three of the five 1999 ALCS games, but lost the series 4-1. - 1999 World Series Atlanta led game three 5-2 in the seventh inning. New York then tacked on one run in the seventh, two in the eighth and one in the 10th, to win 6-5 in extra innings. The win gave the Yankees an insurmountable 3-0 series lead. They would finish off the sweep in New York the following game. - 2000 AL Divisional Series The scare that Oakland gave New York this year wasn't the only time that the Ath letics have had the Yanks' backs against the wall.. One year ago, Oakland forced another game five against New York, which was New York's first elimination game since they lost to Cleveland in 1997. However, this time the Yankees Texas led would come out swinging, scoring six runs in the first inning to win the game 7-5. - 2000 ALCS versus Seattle In game two, The Mariners were six outs away from taking a 2-0 series lead back to Seattle. But in the eighth inning the Yan kees. trailing 1-0, scored seven runs to tie the series at one game apiece. In game six. New York overcame a 4-3 Mariners' lead, scoring six runs in the seventh inning. The Yankees won the game 9-7 and the series 4-2. - 2000 World Series New York vs. New York. The Mets led game one in the ninth inning 3-2, hut couldn't finish off the Yankees who scored the game tying run. The Yanks would go on to win in the 12th, 4-3. They won the se ries, 4-1. In New York's past four World Series Championship runs, they are 6-1 in games that go to extra innings. They arc 11-7 in ALCS and World Series games when trailing after six innings. And what's even scarier for New York's op ponents is what happens when the Yanks aren't showing signs of vulnerability. They are 20-0 when leading going into the seventh inning. Beating the Yankees in a best-of-seven series has proven to be a monumental task for every team they have faced. It will he no different for the I 16-win Se attle Mariners who already trail 2-U. By the way, the Yankees are 6-0 since 1996 when they win the first two games of a playoff series. PHOTO BY LYNDSEY BOOR am really impressed with his playing ability" said Heynes. "Different indi viduals are shining at dif ferent parts of the game. i.e. Hanhauser on offense and Doody on defense. We just need everyone to shine as a team at the same time." If you don't go 1(0'4. don't go at all. Page 3b teams." Looking ahead to the weekend, the Lions feel that they will need to perform their best to beat the strong Slippery Rock team and then move on to play Johns Hopkins, a top five team in the Divi sion HI poll. Freshman An- drew Hanhauser is an outstanding player who broke the season goal scoring and the assists record last weekend at the Eastern Championships at Grove City. Newcomer Casey Doody has also be come a vital player or, the team, entering the top five in season steals and season assists "He has become a thief in the water and I
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