Penn State Behrend Lions Baseball Repeats as AMCC Champions

Penn State Behrend finished off Penn State Altoona with a 7-2 win in the 2009 AMCC Baseball Championship on Sunday, May 10 to claim back-to-back conference titles. With the championship, Behrend earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will compete at a region to be determined.

Behrend entered the day needing one win on its home field to clinch the title, while Altoona faced the daunting task of having to take two in a row from the Behrend Lions.  Starting pitchers Fran Haus (Wexford/North Allegheny) for Behrend, and Kevin Obermeier looked solid early as both pitchers got through the first two innings without giving up a run.

In the bottom of the third, Jon Gray (State College/State College) led off and slapped a ball to the rightside of the infield.  The junior centerfielder's blazing speed forced a hurried throw by Altoona's third baseman, as Gray officially reached on an error.  He stole second where he remained until RBI machine David Miller (St. Marys/St. Marys) singled him in for the first score of the game, putting Behrend up 1-0. 

Altoona bounced back to grab a lead in the top of the fourth inning.  The visitors loaded the bases with one out and RJ Barnard scored on an error to tie the game at 1-1.  Tyler Stiffler followed with a single which scored Grady Luzier and Penn State Altoona climbed in front 2-1.  Behrend's Haus got a strikeout and a groundout to get out of the inning without any more damage.

The Behrend bats responded in the fifth inning as Miller and Dustin Dubensky   (Punxsutawney/Punxsutawney) were aboard with two outs when Geoff Lang (Pittsburgh/North Allegheny) singled both home for a 3-2 advantage.

In the sixth Rich Doyle (Pittsburgh/North Allegheny) led off with a single as Behrend loaded the bases with no outs.  Doyle scored off Eddie Kessler's (Bethel Park/Bethel Park) single and Harry Latta (Waterford/Fort LeBoeuf) scored on a passed ball as Behrend boosted its lead to 5-2 after six innings.

Altoona had two runners aboard in the seventh before Haus got a groundball that turned into a key 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.  Behrend added a sixth run in the seventh and made it 7-2 with a run in the eighth inning.  Ben Cain (Venetia/Peters Township) pitched the final one and a third innings, getting a groundout for the final out, kicking off a jubilant pileup.

Haus was outstanding in getting the win for the Behrend Lions, pitching seven and two thirds innings with three strikeouts, scattering seven hits, with two runs, neither of them earned.  Miller was 2-for-5 with three RBIs, while Lang was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.

Behrend now awaits word on when and where they will compete in the NCAA Tournament.  Regional assignments will be released on Monday, May 11.