Penn State DuBois baseball and softball teams qualify for PSUAC Championships

DuBOIS, Pa. — With the end of the regular season upon them, both the baseball and softball teams at Penn State DuBois know they have already qualified for the conference championship playoffs in the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC), which will be played at the end of the week. Both teams still have games yet to be played in the regular season and they will look to close out the season on a strong note.

Penn State DuBois softball opened last week with a nonconference doubleheader against Carlow University on April 23. Carlow broke open game one early and completed a sweep of DuBois at Heindl Field, winning 9-1 in game one and 4-2 in game two.

In the opener, Carlow scored five runs across the first two innings and never looked back. Tatum Wiggs led the Celtics with two hits and two RBIs, while Lexi Berta tripled and drove in two. Anna Schumacher picked up the win, striking out four and allowing just one earned run over five innings.

DuBois managed four hits in game one, including an RBI single by Makena Baney in the third inning that scored Jessy Frank for the Nittany Lions’ only run. Kelsey Stuart took the loss after surrendering five runs, four earned, over one inning. Theresa Luongo pitched four innings in relief.

Carlow added four runs in the fifth to put the game out of reach, aided by multiple DuBois errors.

In game two, DuBois struck first, but Carlow answered with a three-run third inning to secure a 4-2 victory.

Stuart scored the opening run in the first after Natalie Bowser delivered an RBI single. Carlow responded with RBI singles from Megan Pollinger and Wiggs to take a 3-1 lead. Wiggs finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs for the Celtics.

Stuart went the distance in the circle for DuBois, allowing nine hits and three earned runs with no strikeouts across seven innings. Sienna Barnhart paced the DuBois offense with three hits, while Frank and Bowser each drove in a run.

DuBois attempted a rally in the seventh when Kamryn Mactavish tripled and scored on a single by Frank, but Schumacher closed out the win for Carlow. The Lady Lions stranded nine runners in the loss.

Jumping back into conference play, Penn State DuBois went on the road to visit Penn State Hazleton on April 25. These games would be key contests for DuBois when it comes to seeding in the upcoming PSUAC conference championship playoffs. DuBois picked up a pair of victories, defeating Hazleton 8-5 and 15-6 in a doubleheader sweep.

In game one, DuBois used timely hitting and strong pitching to earn the 8-5 win. Chelsea Busatto led the offense, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs, including a triple and two doubles. Stuart added a pair of extra-base hits, driving in two runs, while Mactavish collected three hits and an RBI. Luongo earned the win in the circle, tossing a complete game. She allowed five runs, three earned, on 10 hits, striking out four without issuing a walk over seven innings.

After trailing early, DuBois took the lead in the fifth inning with a three-run rally, highlighted by Busatto’s two-run triple. The team tacked on insurance runs in the sixth and seventh frames to secure the victory.

In the second game, the DuBois bats exploded for 18 hits in a commanding 15-6 win. Barnhart paced the offense with a perfect 5-for-5 performance, while Busatto continued her hot day, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two doubles. Stuart again delivered at the plate, knocking in four runs on a 3-for-5 effort that included a double.

DuBois opened the contest with a seven-run first inning and never looked back, scoring in four of the six innings played. Stuart picked up the win in the circle, pitching three innings before giving way to Leah Aldous and Luongo in relief. Stuart allowed just one earned run while striking out three.

The DuBois defense turned in key plays to back the pitching staff, overcoming a few miscues to hold Hazleton to just six runs despite allowing nine hits.

Penn State DuBois softball now holds an overall record of 14-13, including 6-6 in conference play.

For the baseball team, Penn State DuBois played four games within the PSUAC, playing a home and home series with Penn State Beaver on April 25 and 27. Having already secured the number one seed in the western side of the upcoming PSUAC championship playoffs, the Nittany Lions looked to build as much positive momentum as possible.

Penn State DuBois swept the home doubleheader against Penn State Beaver on at Showers Field, earning victories by scores of 5-0 and 3-0.

In game one, the Nittany Lions combined strong pitching and timely hitting to shut out the visitors. Colby Bodtorf led the offense, going 4-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and a stolen base. Alex Gavlock delivered a crucial three-RBI single in the second inning to put DuBois ahead for good.

On the mound, Connor Cherry earned the win, tossing four scoreless innings while striking out five. Casey Serine and Josh Ross combined to close out the final three innings, with Ross striking out two of the three batters he faced.

In game two, DuBois again rode a combination of dominant pitching and situational hitting. Jeff Romano pitched 6.1 strong innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out seven. Joe Tettis came on in relief to record the final two outs, both via strikeout, and earn the save.

Braylen Corter provided a sacrifice fly in the second inning to bring in the game's first run. Bryce Dobson drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to extend the lead, and Corter added another RBI with a groundout to push the margin to 3-0.

Penn State DuBois and Penn State Beaver met again on April 27 to finish off their home and home series. DuBois kept its conference record unblemished, sweeping Beaver with 5-2 and 7-5 victories at Beaver Field.

In game one, Taylor Boland and Travis Keister combined to limit Beaver to four hits as DuBois earned a 5-2 win. Boland pitched the first four innings, allowing two unearned runs, before Keister tossed three shutout frames to earn the save.

The offense broke through with a three-run third inning highlighted by an RBI double from Kyle Elensky and a two-run double from Isaac Tiracorda. Corter drove in an insurance run in the sixth, and Tiracorda added a sacrifice fly in the seventh to cap the scoring.

Tiracorda finished with three RBIs, while Elensky, Corter, and Tiracorda each had extra-base hits. Bodtorf and Corter also swiped bases in the win.

In the second game, DuBois overcame a 5-4 deficit with two runs in the sixth inning to pull out a 7-5 victory. Bodtorf delivered the go-ahead hit with a two-run single that plated Nick Cagliola and Cole Bloom. The Nittany Lions used aggressive baserunning to its advantage, stealing 10 bases in the game, including three each from Bodtorf, Bloom, and Cagliola.

Zach Witherow started on the mound and struck out seven over 4.1 innings. Ross earned the win with 2.1 innings of relief, and Tettis recorded the final out to pick up the save.

Tiracorda, Jake Sikora, and Cagliola each drove in runs early for DuBois, who trailed 5-4 before rallying late.

Penn State DuBois now holds a record of 27-6 for the season, including an undefeated conference record of 20-0.

To close out the regular season, Penn State DuBois baseball and softball are both scheduled to play doubleheaders away from home on Tuesday, April 29. The Lady Lions will travel to face off with Penn State Scranton in two PSUAC games that have conference championship seeding implications. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m., with the second game to follow at 4 p.m.

Penn State DuBois baseball will travel to visit Houghton College away from home for their final regular season doubleheader. Game one is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and game two will follow at 4 p.m.

Both teams will advance to play in the PSUAC conference championships, being held in DuBois, beginning on Friday, May 2.

For complete athletic schedules, including any weather-related changes, visit the Penn State DuBois athletic website.