Lions send off Grant, Neyhard, Robin and Wess with series win over Scranton

Hazleton, Pa. - Hazleton won their second PSUAC series victory on Saturday with a 3-1 advantage over Penn State Scranton. The Lions split the first two games of the series at Penn State Scranton on Friday before returning home on Saturday where the Lions swept Scranton two games to zero, improving Hazleton's conference record to 8-12 as they closed out the regular season. In the process, fourth year players Solomon Grant, Chris Neyhard, Josh Robin and Eddie Wess wrapped up their careers on a high note as the Hazleton Nittany Lions celebrated their accomplishments from the past four seasons during Saturday's intermission.

Lions split at Penn State Scranton

The series kicked off with a great effor from both teams but it was Hazleton pulling ahead in the fifth inning which would ultimately decide the game. A hit-batsman and three straight hits plated three runs for the Nittany Lions including back to back doubles by Josh Robin and first year player Zach Brister which put Hazleton ahead 3-0. Scranton came back one inning later, notching two runs off second year hurler Eli Tyrrell, but Tyrrell and the Lions escaped the frame with a 3-2 lead and closed out the game one inning later. Tyrrell threw a gem in his final start of the season, throwing a complete game with eight strikeouts while allowing two earned runs on eight hits. Scranton got a quality start from Mike Dewolfe who no-hit Hazleton in every inning but the deciding fifth frame. 

Scranton's pitching continued to excel in game two but unlike game one, they got run support to capture the win and split the double-header. After allowing Scranton to go ahead 2-0 in the first inning, Hazleton bounced back with single scores in the second and third frames with RBI base hits from second year player Maximus Cuevas and Josh Robin, but Scranton reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the third inning after a fielding error led to a score. Unfortunately for Hazleton it was downhill from that point on. Scranton had big rallies in the fourth and fifth frames, adding six runs to their tally and taking a 9-2 advantage in the game. Hazleton failed to respond with no hits in their final three trips on offense as Scranton claimed game two 9-2.

Hazleton wins pair over Scranton in home finale

After a tough outing in game two of the series, Hazleton got another outstanding start in game three on their home field. This time in was first year pitcher Jake Bobish tossing a complete game shut-out. Bobish scattered six hits and struck out six on his way to his first win of the season and lowering his season ERA to 4.83. Bobish got plenty of support in the win. Hazleton notched three runs in the second frame, getting a two-RBI base hit from second year player Hunter Schmidt and an RBI single from second year player Jake Barto. The Lions would carry that 3-0 lead into the fifth inning when Hazleton exploded for five runs. Four hits and an error led to the crooked inning, including another two-RBI hit from Schmidt and two more runs came across on a single by second year player Max Cuevas. Now with a comfortable advantage, Bobish cruised through the final two frames, retiring six of his final seven batters faced to seal up the win for Hazleton by a score of 8-0. 

Despite allowing Scranton a run in the first inning of game two, momentum was on Hazleton's side and the Lions proceeded to put up big numbers on offense in the first five innings of the final game. Third year player Eric Sonntag notched three RBI in the bottom of the first inning with a double to left field and used a Scranton error and a productive ground out from Eddie Wess to nab two more scores in the second inning, taking a 5-1 lead over Scranton. Chris Neyhard, Sonntag and Josh Robin would all drive in runs in the next three frames to put Hazleton on top 10-1 through five innings of play as first year pitcher Zach Brister dealt from the mound. Brister's day ended after the fifth, allowing just one earned run on five hits and two walks while striking out five Scranton hitters. Second year pitcher Avery Edmonds tossed a clean inning in the sixth frame but after exiting the game, Hazleton ran into trouble in the top of the seventh inning. Scranton rallied with four hits and used two free passes to plate five runs in the frame, but it was too little, too late as Hazleton closed out the game 10-6. 

Fourth Year Player Spotlight

Josh Robin is a fourth year player from Nesquehoning, PA and wrapped up his career on Saturday. Josh is majoring in Business with a concentration in Marketing and Management. During his time with the Hazleton Nittany Lions, Robin has a career .283 batting average with 20 RBI in 57 games played. Josh has been a member of the PSUAC Academic All-Conference Team on three occasions as well as the USCAA National All-Academic Team and upon graduation, he plans to attend graduate school and eventually pursue a career in advertising. 

Chris Neyhard is a fourth-year player from Bloomsburg, Pa. majoring in Business, Marketing and Management and has been named to the PSUAC Academic All-Conference Team three times and the USCAA National All-Academic Team along with the Dean's list on two occasions. During his career, Chris has appeared in 60 games, notching a .265 career batting average along with 28 runs scored and seven stolen bases and Chris has been named the 2024 John Fritz Sportsmanship Award Winner for the Hazleton Baseball squad. Following graduation this spring, Chris plans to enter the field of digital marketing and eventually would like to start his own business. 

Solomon Grant is a fourth-year player from Williamsport, PA and is majoring in criminal justice. Solomon is a 4-time PSUAC Academic All-Conference award winner and has achieved Dean's List status four times throughout his career. During his fourth and final season in uniform, Solomon has produced a .244 batting average with 11 RBI, one home run, 16 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. Upon graduating this semester, Solomon plans to pursue a career as a Pennsylvania Game Warden or potentially working as a juvenile probation officer. 

Eddie Wess is a fourth year player from East Stroudsburg, PA and is majoring in business with an accounting option and a minor in supply chain management. Eddie is a four-time member of the PSUAC Academic All-Conference Team and been named to the Dean's list on two occasions. Eddie was named a PSUAC All-Conference Outfielder in 2022 and 2023 and for his career, Wess has racked up 83 hits for a .335 batting average, totaling 21 extra base hits, two home runs, 41 RBI, 66 runs scored and 27 stolen bases. Following this semester, Eddie will be completing his education with an internship at Con-Reznick and plans to attend graduate school.