Bats quiet for the Knights, drop both games of a doubleheader
By Andrew Hunter
Knightly News Sports Reporter
The Central Penn College Knights were stymied by stellar pitching from Penn State – Brandywine on Tuesday, dropping both games of a doubleheader 13-7 and 10-1 from FNB Field in Harrisburg.
Game 1
In Game 1, the Knights sent Wyatt Koser to the mound. The first inning got off to a rocky start for Koser, as he allowed several baserunners in the early going. After singles from Mike DeGirolamo and Sam Benvignati both drove in runs, Ian Merrin walked with the bases loaded to give Penn State – Brandywine an early 3-0 lead.
That remained the score until the top of the third inning, when Merrin singled in a run and Vernon Davis scored on a wild pitch by Koser, making the game 5-0.
However, the Knights showed some resilience in the bottom of the third inning, which included RBIs from Owen Zell and Gabe Kaufman. Then, senior slugger Zach Boyer launched a homerun to right field, seemingly shifting the momentum in favor of the Knights.
In the top of the fourth, Harvey McClain III entered the game for the Knights, but was unable to keep the Penn State – Brandywine bats in check. All told, Penn State – Brandywine pushed three runs across in the inning, making the score 8-3 before the Knights could get up to bat.
While the Knights did manage to push three runs across in the bottom of the seventh inning due to six consecutive walks by Jacob Weeks, the Knights were not able to rally and lost Game 1 by a score of 13-7.
The Knights, who were only able to muster three hits, did work 11 total walks in the contest. Boyer was 1-for-3 with the homerun, while freshman Tanner McCoy was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run.
For Penn State – Brandywine, DeGirolamo was 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs. Evan Abegg reached base five times, going 3-for-3 with two walks and two runs.
Game 2
After a difficult first game, the Knights looked to rebound with ace Colten Zerby, who had come into the contest with the team lead in strikeouts on the season. Zerby, though, struggled through two innings of work, allowing two hits and four earned runs.
For Penn State – Brandywine, the offensive production got going early in the first, as Ryan Brown walked, DeGirolamo singled, and Cam Baughman launched a three-run home run. Zerby was able to get out of the inning otherwise unscathed, but the damage had already been done.
Offensively, the bats could not get going for the Knights during the game, only creating three hits and one run. The only Knights run in the contest came from an RBI single from McCoy in the bottom of the fourth inning.
In the top of the sixth inning, Penn State – Brandywine added onto the lead, with a triple from Owen Lawton driving in two runs, followed by a Merrin RBI single.
In the end, the Penn State – Brandywine offense proved to be too much, taking the second game of the doubleheader by a score of 10-1.
After the game, Knights head coach Robert Stern stated about the day, “We got to go back to work and hit the baseball.” He added that the players were playing on “instinct” rather than working with their ability.
The Knights, fresh off an eight-game winning streak that was halted in an extra-inning contest versus Christendom, have now lost three in a row. Their record stands at 9-7 on the season.
The Knights are scheduled to take on Penn State – Schuylkill for a home doubleheader on Thursday. They will complete their six-game homestand next Monday against Lehigh Carbon Community College. Both games start at 1 p.m. at FNB Field on City Island.