Lions Force Second Game; Fall Short of AMCC Title

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend baseball team defeated La Roche (30-11) 11-6 in the first game of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Championship, forcing a second game to determine the 2015 champion. La Roche responded with a 22-2 victory in game two to capture the conference crown.

The Lions (26-12-1) belted 16 hits in game one scoring in every inning from the fourth on. La Roche took an early 4-0 lead in the second inning, but after runs in the fourth and fifth, Behrend plated five in the sixth to take the lead.

Brandon Smail (Apollo, PA/Kiski Area) lifted the Lions with 4.1 innings of relief in which he allowed just one run. Smail earned the win for his effort.

Both John Hlavinka (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) and Brian Bohman (Erie, PA/McDowell) went 4-for-6 with two RBI's and a run scored. Bohman ripped a two-run homerun in the top of the eighth inning to boost the Lions to a 10-6 advantage.

Alex Margraf (Erie, PA/McDowell) had two hits including a two-RBI double in the sixth while Hunter Hux (Williamsburg, VA/Warhill) added two hits and a pair of RBI's.

The victory forced a second championship game in which the winner was crowned AMCC Champs. La Roche pushed across three runs in the first inning and two more in the third to grab an early 5-0 lead.

A six-run fourth, five-run fifth and three-run sixth propelled the Redhawks to a commanding 19-run lead. Margraf blasted a two-run homer over the left field wall to get the Lions on the board in the eighth, but the large lead was too much for Behrend to overcome.

With the conference tournament wrapped up, the Lions will sit tight and wait to hear if they earn a post-season bid.