Upsets, Rain Rule the First Day of Spring Championship Weekend

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Before the rain came, Sunday of Championship weekend was filled with upsets in both baseball and softball. In fact, out of four games completed between the two sports, every single game was won by the lower seeded team.

RECAP

The day started at Nittany Lion Softball Park as no. 5 seed Penn State Schuylkill rallied late for another comeback win over no. 4 seed Penn State DuBois. Just over a week ago Schuylkill used a 7th inning rally to advance in the winner's bracket, and today was no different as they staved off elimination with a four-run final stanza to win 7-5. Kaely Walshaw, whose grand slam propelled Schuylkill last Friday, came up big again with a two-run double to tie the game at 5-5. The winning run would score on a passed ball, and Schuylkill tacked on another run with a bases loaded walk to make it 7-5. Walshaw then closed it out in the circle to advance her team to the semifinals against no. 1 seed Penn State Brandywine.

No. 2 seed Penn State Mont Alto then faced no. 3 Penn State New Kensington in the first semifinal of the softball tournament, which had previously been adjusted due to weather last weekend. Mont Alto jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first, eventually tacking on another run in the 3rd. But New Kensington chipped away with two runs in both the 4th and 5th innings, before surrendering two runs to Mont Alto to trail 6-4 after five innings. After both teams pushed across runs in the sixth, New Kensington exploded for three runs in the seventh, with Kiera Mack's triple tying the score and an RBI groundout from Molly Collins pushed across the eventual winning run.

At Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, East no. 2 seed Penn State York faced off with West no. 1 seed Penn State Mont Alto in an elimination game in the baseball bracket. York loaded the bases in each of the first two innings, pushing across four runs early. Mont Alto answered with two runs of their own in the first inning, but after York's lone run in the second there was no more scoring from either team as York held on to a 4-2 advantage through the end of the game. York's Jason Williams threw a complete game, scattering six hits and striking out four.

In what was the last game of the day at Medlar Field, West no. 2 seed DuBois won by the identical score of the early game, topping East no. 1 seed Penn State Brandywine 4-2. Taylor Boland pitched a complete game four-hitter, striking out eight batters along the way. His offensive teammates pushed across two early runs in the first, but wouldn't score again until the sixth. By that time, Brandywine had tied the game with runs in the first and third innings. Cory Lehman broke the tie with a double in the sixth and Alex Gavlock's sac fly scored another run to provide all the cushion Boland would need to secure the win and a place in Monday's Championship game.

As the last games at both locations finished a light rain began to fall. With more intense rain in the forecast, the decision was made to suspend play for the day and return on Monday.

SCHEDULE UPDATES

The PSUAC Baseball Championship tournament will resume on Monday, May 8th at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park at 10:00 a.m. as division foes Brandywine and York battle for a spot in the Championship game. The Championship will feature that winner against DuBois at 1:00 p.m. Should Brandywine or York beat DuBois, an "if necessary" game will be played approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first championship game.

The PSUAC Softball Championship will not start earlier in the day than originally planned, but will add a second game to its schedule. The second semifinal, which was originally scheduled for Sunday, will be played at 12:00 p.m. on Monday at Nittany Lion Softball Park. Schuylkill and Brandywine will face-off in that game for a spot in the championship game opposite New Kensington. The championship game is now slated for a 2:30 p.m. start time.

Follow all of the action live at www.psucampusathletics.com. Live stats are also available on the Schedule/Results page for each respective sport.