DUBOIS, Pa. - Day one of the 2022 PSUAC Baseball and Softball Championships is underway at Showers Field and Heindl Memorial Park in DuBois. At the start of the day six teams were still alive for a championship, including four baseball and two softball teams.

See below for our running blog of action from today's first of two championship days.

BASEBALL GAME 5--11:00 a.m.

West #2 Penn State Mont Alto vs. East #1 Penn State Schuylkill

In the first elimination game of the day, Mont Alto topped Schuylkill 6-5 in extra innings to stay alive for in the baseball championship tournament. 

Mont Alto struck first, plating a run in the first inning after loading the bases with nobody out. But Schuylkill's starting pitcher Ryan Culbert settled in and allowed just the one run off a groundout. Schuylkill returned the favor in the third, scoring three times to grab the 3-1 advantage. Ryan Jarboe had an RBI single and was followed three batters later by a two-run single from Owen Zimmerman.

A pitchers duel ensued until the seventh inning, where Mont Alto finally put up a crooked number again. This time they would tie the score with two runs as Hayden Kissel was involved in both--first with an RBI double and later scoring on a sac fly to right field. Schuylkill threatened in the bottom half of the inning with two runners on base, but was unable to push them across and we went to extras.

In the first extra inning, Mont Alto scored twice as two Schuylkill errors played a key role after a spotless first seven innings in the field. But Schuylkill regrouped as Sean Duffy and Evan Kosar had RBI singles to tie it at 5-5. But another error in the top of the 9th helped Mont Alto score again and this time they would hold onto the lead as Logan Layton picked up the save with three straight outs.

Schuylkill's conference postseason came to an end as Mont Alto will play on in the day's second elimination game at 4:30 p.m. against the Penn State DuBois-Penn State Brandywine loser.

BASEBALL GAME 6--1:45 p.m.

East #3 Penn State Brandywine vs. West #1 Penn State DuBois

A true pitchers duel started early and lasted throughout Sunday's second game at Showers Field. Connor Thompson of Brandywine and Taylor Boland of DuBois took to the bump and combined for a total of 12 1/3 innings, giving up just seven hits. Boland got the better of the match-up, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning while striking out four and walking two. 

Thompson was quite impressive, giving up just two runs on six hits in six innings. His only blemishes came in the fourth and sixth innings as Trevor Hanna got the best of him with a sac fly to give DuBois a 1-0 lead before a single in the sixth from Hanna made it 2-0. 

Daniel Stauffer came in to close out the game for DuBois, striking out the final two batters to send DuBois to their fourth straight championship game, which will be held on Monday, May 9th at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in State College, Pa. at 3:30 p.m. Brandywine falls into the elimination bracket and faces Mont Alto at 4:30 p.m. at Showers Field. 

SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES GAME 1--4:00 p.m.

#3 Penn State Hazleton vs. #1 Penn State Brandywine

Penn State Brandywine started strong and finished stronger as they grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 2022 PSUAC Softball Championship best-of-3 series with a 13-2 win over Penn State Hazleton. 

The top seed scored three times in the first inning, capped by an RBI double by Crystal Cassario who helped her own cause. Hazleton battled back to score a run in the third and fourth innings as Rebecca Baum doubled in a run to make it 3-1 before a groundout scored their second run an inning later.

But that's when Brandywine stepped on the gas, scoring five runs in both the fourth and fifth innings. Cassario homered to give herself some space, then Gianna Terpolilli tripled home two runs to make it 5-2, then scored a batter later off a sac fly. Payton Landis added an RBI single to cap the inning and make it 8-2. After retiring the side from the cirlce in the top of the fifth, Cassario walked to lead off the fifth. An error plated Brandywine's first run of the inning, then Meghan Ferry ended it with a blast, a grand slam to make it 13-2 and end it early.

Hazleton will look to even the series on Monday at 12:00 p.m. at the Nittany Lion Softball Park on Penn State's University Park campus.

BASEBALL GAME 7--4:30 p.m.

E#3 Penn State Brandywine vs. W#2 Penn State Mont Alto

In the final game of day one, an elimination game between Brandywine and Mont Alto, the latter came out on top with an 11-5 victory to advance to the championship game against division rival DuBois on Monday.

Brandywine took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning as Evan Abegg and Tyler Brooks each contributed an RBI single. But the lead would not last long as Mont Alto would score on an error followed by an RBI single from Gavin Kissel. 

Two and a half scoreless innings would follow before Mont Alto broke it open with an eight spot in the bottom of the fourth. Darian Mort and Jarrett Goodyear each slashed RBI doubles, and Nathaniel Smith and Tyler Moreland each had two run singles to help make it 10-2.

Brandywine answered with three runs in the sixth, highlighted by Kyle Oechsle's two-run double, but a homer from Mont Alto's Caiden Smith helped put the game away in the sixth. 

Mont Alto will play DuBois in the championship game on Monday at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in State College, Pa. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. DuBois can claim the championship with a win, while Mont Alto will need a win to force the if necessary game.