Lions split season opener at University of Valley Forge

Aston, Pa. - The Hazleton Nittany Lion baseball team kicked off their season on Tuesday, February 27th with a trip south to the Maplezone Sports Institute where they squared off in a double-header against the University of Valley Forge. Hazleton fell late in game one, losing late on a game winning score by the Patriots in the seventh inning but bounced back in game two to capture their first win of the 2024 season by a four-run cushion. 

Game 1: Penn State Hazleton 4, University of Valley Forge 5 - Final, 7 Innings

Hits were tough to come by for Hazleton in the first action of the season. The Lions garnered just two hits in the ball game, both of which came in the fifth inning as Hazleton came back from a 2-0 deficit to take a 4-2 lead over UVF. Second year player Tyler Sewell (Thomson, Ga.) led off the frame with a single and Hazleton took advantage of three Patriot errors, two free passes and a base knock by fourth year player Joshua Robin (Nesquehoning, Pa.) to tack on four runs to build a two run cushion but the Lions lead would be brief. Valley Forge rallied in the bottom half of the inning with two-run double off Hazleton hurler, second year player Eli Tyrrell (Halifax, Pa.), chasing him from the game in the process.

Hazleton nearly broke the tie in the top half of the seventh inning, but the Lions failed to cash in a base runner from second base, allowing Valley Forge the walk-off opportunity in the bottom half of the inning. There a lead off single and a sacrifice bunt led to bases loaded jam after a pair of intentional walks. With no room on the bases, Hazleton first year pitcher Zach Brister (Clarks Summit, Pa.) was forced to deal but couldn't find the zone, leading to a game-ending free pass, with Valley Forge taking the game 5-4 over Hazleton. 

Sewell and Robin led the offensive effort for Hazleton with Sewell going 1-for-3 with a run scored while Robin ended the game 1-for-2 with a run scored. Third year player Shea Morgan earned the Lion's only RBI in the contest on a groundout in the fifth frame. On the hill, Tyrrell was effective in his first start of the season, tossing four solid innings before being chased out of the game in the fifth inning. Tyrrell finished the game four earned runs allowed on nine hits while walking two batters and striking out four hitters. Brister allowed just one hit and one run in 2.1 innings pitched respectively. 

Game 2: Penn State Hazleton 8, University of Valley Forge 4 - Final, 7 Innings

After a sluggish start to the night, Hazleton's bats were far from quiet in game two. The Lions reeled off 13 hits in the second game, backed up by solid pitching and defense to earn their first win of the season. With the scored tied at 1-1 in the third inning, Hazleton took advantage of two Patriot errors and collected four hits of their own to tally three runs. Third year player Eric Sonntag (Horsham, Pa.) and Zach Brister picked up RBI's in the rally and Hazleton was off and running in this one. 

Valley Forge came up with a run in the bottom of the fourth off first year player Gavin Wallace (Lehman, Pa.) to make the score 4-2 but Hazleton responded with another three-spot in the top of the fifth inning. The Lions got three straight singles to start off the frame, leading to an RBI walk by Robin, an RBI single by second year player Hunter Schmidt (Northampton, Pa.) and a productive out RBI by four year player Solomon Grant (Williamsport, Pa.). Hazleton allowed a single score to the Patriots in the bottom half of the inning but tacked on an insurance run in the top of the sixth inning with a sac fly from Sewell to make the score 8-3. First year pitcher Briar Campbell (Halifax, Pa.) and Solomon Grant combined to pitch the final three innings for Hazleton. Campbell allowed a pair of single scores in the fifth and sixth frames but allowed just two hits to limit the damage and retain the lead. Grant cleaned up the Patriots in the final frame to secure the win for the Nittany Lions by the score of 8-4. 

Fourth year player Eddie Wess led all hitters for the Lions, going 3-for-3 with three runs scored in the win. Sonntag, Sewell and Robin also finished the night with multi-hit efforts while second year player Maximus Cuevas (Houston, Tx.) and Brister added RBI's in the win. Gavin Wallace earned the win from the mound in his first appearance, throwing four innings while allowing two runs on two hits with a pair of walks and five strikouts. 

Next up: Hazleton gears up for their trip to the Cal Ripken Experience next week. The Lions will have 8 games in six days on Myrtle Beach, Sc. starting off with a double-header against Bay College on Sunday, March 3 at 6:00 p.m.