Ejlipifl Q& A with Ryan Smith Et Smith, the assistant ® Schedule Crunch work mUHH WC^° him^on^age^B^ tion on page 38. fßHHiiiiljiß Calendar of Events Behrend Athletic Events Friday Men’s Tennis @ Pitt-Greensburg 4 p.m Women’s Water Polo @ Grove City Invitational, TBA Saturday Men’s and Women’s Track and Field @ Western PA Champion ships @ Geneva 10 a. m. Men’s Tennis @ Frostburg 12 p.m. Women’s Softball @ La Roche (DH) 1 p.m. Men’s Baseball Grove City (DH) Behrend Baseball Field 1 p.m. Women’s Water Polo @ Grove City Invitational, TBA Sunday Men’s Tennis @ Penn State Altoona, 10 a.m, Men’s Baseball Thiel Behrend Baseball Field 1 p.m. Women’s Softball Penn State Altoona (DH) Behrend Softball Field 1 p.m. Monday Men’s Golf @ Westminster, 1 p.m Men’s Tennis @ Fredonia, 3:30 p.m Tuesday Women’s Softball Buffalo State (DH) Behrend Softball Field 3 p.m. Men's Baseball Allegheny Behrend Baseball Field 3 p.m. Men’s Tennis @ Lake Erie, 4 p.m Wednesday Women’s Softball @ AMCC Tournament, TBA Thursday Men’s Tennis @ Fredonia, 3 p.m Friday, April 19 Women’s Water Polo @ Southern Division Champion ships @ Villanova, TBA Women’s Softball @ AMCC Tournament, TBA Men’s Baseball @ AMCC Tournament, TBA Intramurals Schedule Friday Intramural Badminton: Men’s and Women’s Singles; Men’s, Women’s, and Coed Doubles - $3 - Teams must pick Monday/ Wednesday or Tuesday/Thurs day games. All entries must be at the intra mural office by 4 p.m. on the scheduled date Baseball cruises to 21-4 record by Mike Bello sports editor It wouldn’t be inconceivable if any team struggled from exhaustion when it had to play seven games in four days. Then again, the Behrend baseball team this season isn’t like other teams. "Great teams keep improving over the course of a season,” said Chris Shearer. “This team is just starting to realize its potential." The Lions, playing through a stretch of 11 -of-13 home games, ran their winning streak to 10 after a sweep of La Roche on Thursday. Behrend improved to 21 -4overall and 9-1 in the AMCC. And with all but two games left in the season scheduled at home, they aren’t looking to put an end to that anytime soon. "We have put ourselves in the position we wanted to [be] heading into the home stretch of the season. First place with everyone else chasing us," said Jake Boyle, one of nine seniors on the team. The Lions have vaulted their way to first place in the AMCC because their lineup is dominant from the first through the ninth positions, producing scores that look like they came from a video game. Credit goes to the pitching staff as well, which has developed into a solid unit, allowing four or fewer runs in the last nine games. During that same stretch Behrend scored 12 or more runs five times. The Lions hosted Pitt-Greensburg on a soggy Monday afternoon, but once again the Lions’ offense was anything but. Behrend scored 10 runs in the first inning on their way to a 19-0 rout, and then followed that up with a 15-2 win in game two. Tony Azzato went 3-for-3 with a team-high four RBIs in game one. Housing and Food Service Athlete of the Week Cfieryf Peterson Peterson hit .588 (10- f or-17) with seven RBIs last week for the Behrend softball team. For the season, Peterson leads the team with a .403 bat ting average, seven doubles, 16 runs, and 14 RBIs. The Lions will be back in action at home on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Penn State Altoona in a doubleheader confer ence game at the Softball Field. while Boyle blasted a three-run home run. Keith Lepionka scored two runs and drove in three runners, and Vince Canzano scored two runs and added two RBIs. Adam Best scored four runs in the leadoff position, while five other players scored two runs. Ryan Seyler gave up two hits in five innings and whiffed eight to record the win. The Lions have dominated opponents recently because the lineup and pitching staff have almost no weaknesses. "There have been times throughout the season where certain individuals have struggled and somebody has been there to pick them up,” said Shearer. "This team is not being carried by one individual and that is what makes us a dangerous team. On any given day. any one of us can carry the team." On Sunday, the Lions traveled to Case Western Reserve, a team with a misleading 2-10 record heading into the doubleheader. Lepionka drove in all of Behrend’s runs in a 5-2 win in game one, while freshman Chris Kechisen gave up two runs on two hits in a 3-2 nightcap win. Lepionka went 2-for-4 in the first game, including a two-run home run in the seventh, while Best scored two BASEBALL DOMINATES that I didn’t knovv what the school could do to help attendance. But now that I have had more time to think, I realized (thanks to some painful brain freezes) that I do have some solutions, although getting them implemented is another story. So without further adieu, here are my plans for every sport. Basketball - Sure, it can be exciting to watch any basketball game, but wouldn’t it be more exciting if dodgeball was r incorporated into the game? Both JBllJjjjjr teams would guard their basket anti TaaJfA if the other team tried to dribble down ' S ■■■A BMthe court, your team could whip I ™ , another basketball at the opposing I • I I • /♦ | J; player(s). The only problem is most ! senior athletic profile | | Baseball/Softball-Bench clearing I & brawls are rare in college sports, but | what if they were mandatory? Think i Take Boyle: Leading the j-“~~ j J v V 9 M. —► I►A *'■ j mound, wouldn’t you want to attend -%/**-*-* ' the games? Of course, some pitcher ! charge on the field after f r=s;.:r.;s I f I l teammates are allowed to join. Points I /* * f are awarded as well if the teams can i successful brain surgery \ | J I? Volleyball - Spikes are a normal I a n mni u. ,u u ■. i r- part of the game, but what if when a jby Kale Levdansky Petrikis Aug. 9. 2001, bu, he heap,ml k p| ayer ao , ma d because of a ap.kc assistant spons editor made a change m the surges t d P ire , CKd ' aMhem . lhe , woplayers ; fK , | schedule and did not inform p . D i , u r •! ’T'u I allowed to settle the score off the In the fall of 2000, Jake Bo y le and h,s to.ly.lJae- foun „ , >, ||tl , Boyle was playing intramural fore, surgery was re-scheduled ~ \ J r j & . | Tonya Harding meets Gabrielle footba lat Penn State Behrend for the following week and left t _ ’ n . , " . . 1 , . . , , . .. rI, l Reese. Plus, because the players are | when he suffered a concussion only eight days before the tall j so dose t 0 each other |iule kjcks ol | after attempting* catch a pass. semester of classes started. ( punches under (he ne( woul( , bi . |He slipped and hit his head on On Aug 16 Dr. Gene H. rf , , , | an °PP° nent ’ S knee ’ Barnett usjd the latest m raop- _ g you sljde tackle . 0 , Boyle went to a local hospi- erattve MRI techmques durmg throw elbows? Not in the ncwci 1 tal in Erie After receiving x- the 12-hour surgery to remove I I ia ‘ m c,nc ‘ mter receivm * x , ru t version. Slide tackling, with metal ' rays, an abnorma ity was dis- the ball-size tumor. The f „ . ~ I J J _ c , rp, i spikes too, as well as throwing elbows I covered in the right frontal re- process was successful. The f . . i 6 rc *.« i j /"•i* • i and fists is not only allowed, bui I gion of his brain that was to- sta^at Cleveland Clinic | , M . , i 6 a • « * • ... : encouraged. Not even the goalie is I tallv seDarate of the concus- was impressed with his abil- I: ... . . . , y ' P * irotected under the new rules, which continued on page 4B sion. MRIs at the Cleveland Clinic led to the discovery that the abnormality was a grade II astrocytoma brain tumor. Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic recommended surgical removal of the tumor. But Boyle had to make an impor tant decision about when to have the surgery. He was as ymptomatic, but was encour aged by his doctor to have the tumor taken care of as soon as possible. Boyle had to time the surgery with schooling and the spring baseball season. "I was told that there did not seem to be any immediate risk if I postponed the surgery, although they could not guarantee that there would not be any problems,” said Boyle. “I knew my teammates were counting on me and I wanted to be there for them, so that is why I waited to have surgery.” IS | But Boyle was then offered the IK | opportunity to play summer base- B | ball in the New England Collegiate H | Baseball League (NECBL). |! | "This was an opportunity I II | would never have again and an op l|! . portunity that had never been of- R fered to a Behrend player, so I once dm i PHOTO BY MIKE BELLO / BEHREND BEACON Senior Jason Karas crushes a grand slam Monday in the second game of a doubleheader against Pitt-Greensburg. Behrend de stroyed Greensburg 19-0 and 15-2 and currently own a 9-1 record in the AMCC, good for first place. Jake Boyle had a brain tumor removed last August, eight days before the fall semester started. Now the senior is leading the 21 -4 Lions. again decided to postpone the surgery until after the summer season in Au gust,” said Boyle. “The highlight of playing for the Eastern Tides was just that...playing. It was an amazing learning experience being able to compete with mostly Division I and II athletes. It was even more thrilling to be able to be a major contributor to a playoff-bound team. This expe rience made me believe that I could perform at the same level as some kids from major baseball colleges if I worked hard enough.” Boyle was scheduled for surgery on ity to bounce back from the traumatic experience. He re- turned home two days after surgery and began a quick re covery. Boyle returned to classes eight days after surgery and has had no problems. "The doctors told me no physical activity for six months, but 1 kept bugging them week after week to play baseball,’ - said Boyle. Finally, after four weeks, the doctors were tired of Boyle calling them and allowed him to return to playing baseball. Boyle was able to play in the last two games of the fall sea son against Allegheny. “I have no choice but to think about the tumor sometimes, as it will be something that needs atten tion the rest of my life," Boyle said. "There is always the possi bility it may return. But I firmly believe that everything happens j for a reason and that discovering j the tumor early was meant to be. ■ It seems sort of foolish to find it ! so early, have the surgery and re covery go so well, and then for J problems to resurface. God works • BOYLE j 3B J Simple steps Behrend can use to attract larger crowds After some deep thinking (mostls over some delicious Ben & Jerry's ice cream, on sale, of course), I decided that my last column wasn’t finished yet. As you recall (and when I sa\ "you", I mean the three of you who read it), I stated that Behrend athletics lack support because a) students have other things to do. and b) this Division 111 school. Ifegrij m Personal foul Mike Bello i P l f will soon be adoi and the WUSA Water Polo/Swimming Watching the players swim back and forth is like watching Public Access TV, but allowing the players to drown each other (or maybe just hold them underwater for a few moments) would surely bring in a large crowd, wouldn’t it? If you’re swimming the 200IM, and you know the swimmei in the next lane is going to beat you. then you wait for him/her to touch the wall and swim back to you. That’s when you jump lanes and drag them back, where your teammates are waiting for you. It only works, though, if they can get all the opposing players out of the race. Cross Country/IYack and Field - Let’s face it, running around in circles doesn’t exactly get the juices flowing for sports fans, but what il the players were allowed to push each other around while running?? You and g•' ■ your teammates could try to tackle tlu opposing team’s best player anil throw him/her into a creek. For Field events, you can go for the long distances in the javelin or shot put. but to create drama, you can also throw them at other players. SPORT IMPROVEMENTS continued on page 2B I also said both the MLS
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