Three-run Eighth Inning Lifts Lions to Victory

FORT PIERCE, Fl. – A three-run eighth inning lifted the Penn State Behrend baseball team past St. Scholastica 9-8 Friday afternoon. Nathan Junk (Cabot, PA/Knoch) singled in two runs with two outs in the inning to tack on two needed insurance runs.

The Lions (5-2) countered a three-run bottom of the seventh inning by St. Scholastica (4-3) that tied the game at six with a three run top of the seventh inning to take a 9-6 lead. With two outs and nobody on Brian Bohman (Erie, PA/McDowell) drew a walk which was followed by a single by Ryan Finnegan (Fombell, PA/Riverside) that scored Bohman.

David Boehme (Venetia, PA/Seton-La Salle) singled and Corey Bowers (Westlake, OH/Westlake) drew a walk to set up a two out bases loaded opportunity for Junk. Junk came up with a clutch single through the left side that scored Boehme and Finnegan propelling Behrend to a 9-6 lead.

St. Scholastica pushed across one run in the eighth and had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth with the tying run standing on third base with two outs. Jordan Weinzierl (St. Marys, PA/St. Marys) got Brett Moody to ground out to end the game. Weinzierl came on in relief in the seventh inning and earned his first career win on the bump.

Tylor Williams (Atlantic, PA/Conneaut Lake) started on the hill going five innings and allowing three runs. Williams struck out five and walked none.

The Lions had 13 total hits including five players having multi-hit days. Boehme finished the game 3-for-5 with an RBI while Finnegan, Junk, and Brandon Bergstrom (Pittsburgh/North Allegheny) all provided two RBI's.

Behrend wraps up their Florida trip tomorrow with a single nine inning game against Western Connecticut State. First pitch is at 1:00 p.m.