Baseball and softball seasons at Penn State DuBois flying by

DuBOIS, Pa. — As we arrive at the second full week in April, the seasons for both the baseball and softball teams are progressing at a rapid pace. Conference and division games are coming rapidly for both teams as they work to get themselves in the best position possible for postseason play.

On the softball diamond, the Lady Lions traveled to face conference foe Penn State Brandywine for two games. DuBois struggled to get its offense moving, especially in the first game, when the team did not record a hit in the game. Chelsea Busatto and Jordan Bundy each reached base on walks, but the Lady Lions were unable to produce any runs from either walk and Brandywine secured the first game by a final score of 6-0.

In the second game, the offense for Penn State DuBois came back, as the Lady Lions outhit Brandywine in the game nine to seven. But Brandywine scored seven runs on its seven hits, while holding DuBois to just two runs in the first six innings. The Lady Lions rallied in the seventh inning, but it wasn’t enough, and Brandywine got the win in game two by a final score of 7-5. Watson went three for three with a walk and two runs scored in the game. Pleta had two hits and two RBIs in the losing effort for DuBois.

The Lady Lions then had off until Saturday when they hosted Penn State Mont Alto for a double header, marking their first home games of the season. Game one saw a bit of pitchers dual for the first two innings as Mont Alto only got a single run off Stuart, who got the start for the Lady Lions. But then Mont Alto’s offense exploded, scoring nine runs in the final four innings while only allowing DuBois a single run in the bottom of the fourth. Mont Alto got the win in game one of the day by a final of 10-1. Stuart also drove in the only RBI for DuBois, with Watson being the one that came home to score.

Game two saw both teams get their bats going early, with both teams scoring two runs in the second inning. DuBois then continued, scoring two more runs in the bottom of the third and led the game 4-2. After both teams exchanged runs in the fourth, Mont Alto got their big inning in the fifth when they pushed home four runs before the third out of the inning was recorded. This proved to be too much for the Lady Lions to overcome and Mont Alto got the sweep of the day, winning game two 9-6. Brianna Bone highlighted the Lady Lions’ offensive effort with two hits and two RBIs while also scoring a run. Stuart also had two hits in the contest for DuBois.

On the baseball diamond, Penn State DuBois started their week by traveling to visit Penn State Fayette for two key divisional games in the PSUAC. After splitting a double header with Fayette at home on Sunday, the Nittany Lions were looking to secure two wins away from home to help improve their playoff positioning. A tight, pitching dual of a first game saw DuBois score two runs in the top of the fourth inning, and that would be all either team would score in the game, as the Nittany Lions got the win 2-0. Connor Cherry went the distance and got the win for DuBois on the mound, allowing just two hits and a walk in the game while retiring six Fayette batters by way of the strikeout.

After a tight first game, Penn State DuBois wanted to leave little doubt for the second game. Scoring three runs in the top of the first and six runs in the top of the third, the Nittany Lions held a 9-2 lead at the end of three innings and they did not look back from that point. DuBois would add seven more runs in the top of the sixth inning while Fayette would only add one in the bottom half and DuBois got the win, and the sweep, in game two by a final score of 16-3 in six innings. Grant Lillard had two hits for the Nittany Lions, both extra base hits via a double and a home run. He also drove in three RBIs and scored twice in the contest. Colby Bodtorf also had a double and Kyle Elensky also cleared the fence for DuBois with a home run in the third inning.

Penn State DuBois then played four games over two days against Penn State Greater Allegheny, first at home and then on the road. Game one at Showers Field was competitive throughout, with the Nittany Lions getting a run right away in the bottom of the first. Greater Allegheny charged back, taking the lead 2-1 in the top of the third inning. DuBois would respond back in the bottom of the fourth, scoring four as Tylor Herzing, Brandon Sicheri, Lillard and Bodtorf each drove in a run for the Nittany Lions. DuBois would not relinquish the lead again and would go on to win game one by a score of 7-4. Taylor Boland threw all seven innings for the Nittany Lions, scattering seven hits while allowing four runs and fanning six Greater Allegheny batters in the game.

Game two against Greater Allegheny saw another strong pitching performance for DuBois. Zach Tiracorda went the distance on the hill, allowing just one run in the game and striking out six. The Nittany Lions also had their offense working to support him, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first and never looking back. Game two ended with a DuBois victory 7-1. Brett Beith and Cory Lehman each drove in two RBIs for the Nittany Lions. Tyler Yough and Bodtorf each had a double for DuBois and Beith homered in the sixth inning that brought home both of his RBIs.

Penn State DuBois then traveled to Pullman Park in Butler to face Penn State Greater Allegheny away from home. Game one saw the trend of strong complete game pitching performances continue for the Nittany Lions. This time it was McLain Welshan’s turn to do wonders on the hill. Allowing seven hits, two walks and a hit by pitch did not matter as he only allowed two runs the entire game. That ended up being enough as the DuBois offense scored three in the top of the third and made those runs hold up for the rest of the game, getting the win in game one by a final of 3-2. Bryce Dobson had two RBIs in the winning effort for the Nittany Lions.

Game two of the day again saw a strong pitching performance that was matched by the offense. Connor Cherry got the start for DuBois and only allowed two hits and two walks over five innings of work, in which he struck out four batters. The five innings he worked would be the only five innings a DuBois pitcher would need to work, as the game ended after five innings with the Nittany Lions scoring ten runs on ten hits to get the win 10-0. Bodtorf and Dobson each had an extra base hit for DuBois offensively. Herzing and Dobson had three RBIs and two RBIs respectively as well.

This week, the softball team will look to improve their 3-7 record as they continue to push up the standings in the PSUAC. They have a full week of games at home at Heindl Field that begins on Wednesday when they host Penn State Fayette for two games, beginning at 5 p.m. The Lady Lions will then host Penn State Hazleton on Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. for game one of the day. Then, DuBois will host Penn State Scranton for a double header on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m.

The baseball team also has a full week of games to look forward to. First, The Nittany Lions will host Houghton College today for two games at Stern Family Field with first pitch of game one scheduled for 2 p.m. DuBois will then travel to face Penn State Beaver on Friday, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. and the second game will take place following the first. Penn State Beaver will then make the trip to DuBois for two games against the Nittany Lions at Showers Field to cap off the regular season series. The first pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 1 p.m.

All games for both the baseball and softball teams are subject to change based on weather and field conditions. Games can also be added, cancelled or changed based on team availability, player availability and scheduling conflicts when conference games are rescheduled. For complete athletic schedules, including changes to both the baseball and softball schedules, visit the Penn State DuBois athletic website at psuduboisathletics.com.