PSUAC Baseball Playoffs Day 1 Recap
DUBOIS, Pa. - Day one of the Penn State University Athletic Conference Baseball tournament kicked off the double elimination format at Showers Field in DuBois on Sunday. Three teams will advance to Monday’s Championship Day, with Beaver, Brandywine, DuBois and Wilkes-Barre still alive to capture the conference crown.
Penn State DuBois - 6, Penn State Wilkes-Barre - 3
Joey Dipietro went 3-for-3 with two RBIs to lead DuBois as they advanced in the winner’s bracket. Caleb Bennett went the distance on the hill, scattering six hits and three runs while striking out five for the Lions.
David Staskiel went 2-for-3 with an RBI for Wilkes-Barre, who needed a combination of three pitchers to get through after DuBois pushed six runs across in the first two innings.
DuBois will face the winner of the Beaver/Brandywine game at approximately 5:30 p.m. Wilkes-Barre will face the loser to stave off elimination.
Penn State Brandywine - 6, Penn State Beaver - 3
Beaver jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one, but Brandywine rallied for five runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 5-2 lead, eventually picking up a 6-3 win over Beaver to advance in the PSUAC Baseball Tournament. Beaver moves into the elimination bracket where they face Wilkes-Barre. Brandywine will face DuBois in the winner’s bracket.
Chris Skahill went 2-for-2 with an RBI, while Tommy Crumlish added a two-run triple in the third to put Brandywine on the board. Kevin Sessa settled in after the first inning, finding his way for a complete game three-hitter. Sessa struck out five in the effort.
Beaver was led by Justyn Francona, who picked up a two-run triple of his own in the first inning.
Penn State Wilkes-Barre - 4, Penn State Beaver - 3
Wilkes-Barre used a late comeback to avoid elimination, instead sending Beaver home with a 4-3 win. Wilkes-Barre advances to another elimination game on Monday at 11:00 a.m. where they will face the loser of the Brandywine-DuBois match-up.
Michael Sikora hit a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth to give Wilkes-Barre the lead for the second time in the game. Leroy Fettig picked up the win in relief for the Lions, throwing two scoreless innings to keep Wilkes-Barre’s championship hopes alive.
Beaver grabbed a 3-1 lead in the fifth with an RBI triple from Matt Capo, a Wilkes-Barre error and a Justyn Francona single, but couldn’t hold on as they end the season with a record of 9-17, including a 7-8 mark in conference play.
Penn State DuBois - 3, Penn State Brandywine - 2
As the clouds retreated and the sun peeked through for the first time all day, DuBois made the most of it by advancing into tomorrow's championship game with a narrow 3-2 win over Brandywine. The loss is not the end for Brandywine as they will face Wilkes-Barre in an elimination game at 11:00 a.m. on Monday morning at Showers Field in DuBois.
Three DuBois pitchers managed to hold a powerful Brandywine offense off balance just enough to pick up the win. Toner Corl threw the first 5 2/3 innings, giving up nine hits but only two runs, both in the fourth inning. Those two runs gave Brandywine a 2-1 lead, but DuBois answered right back in the bottom half of the inning. Vince McDowell had a pinch hit RBI single followed by a sac fly from Garrett Brown to give DuBois a 3-2 advantage. Brandywine would put pressure on in the fifth, loading the bases before Corl picked up a strikeout to end the rally.
Bradley Ulmer was solid on the hill for Brandywine, going the distance while givng up just three runs on seven hits.
DuBois will await the Brandywine-Wilkes-Barre winner for a 1:30 p.m. scheduled start. An "if necessary" game is scheduled to start 20 minutes after the end of championship game 1.