Behrend Splits With No. 17 La Roche On Senior Day; Earn First-Round Bye In AMCC Playoffs

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend baseball team closed out their Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) season Saturday afternoon, splitting with No. 17 La Roche. The Redhawks took game one 7-2 before the Behrend scored three runs in the eighth to take game two, 3-1.

The Lions (20-17, 11-5 AMCC) earned a first round bye with the game-two victory, finishing second in the AMCC.

Behrend scattered five hits through the first seven innings, but were unable to get anything going until their big eighth inning where they found themselves down 1-0.

Brian Bohman (Erie, PA/McDowell) reached first with a one-out single to get the eighth inning going. Scott Sada (Saegertown, PA/Saegertown) then got hit by a pitch, making it first and second with one out.

With two outs, Mason McGuire (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) doubled to the left-center gap to score Bohman and Sada, giving the Lions a 2-1 lead. Brandon Bergstrom (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) then singled to drive in McGuire to make it a 3-1 game.

Phil Myers (DuBois, PA/DuBois Central Catholic) pitched an outstanding game on the mound for Behrend. The sophomore lefty threw a complete-game seven hitter, striking out four Redhawks (30-8, 15-1 AMCC) while moving to 6-1 on the season.

Bergstrom finished game one going 2-for-4 and one RBI. Zach Murray (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) went 2-for-3.

Game one was a pitching duel and a handful of outstanding defensive plays from both teams kept the first four scoreless innings exciting. With two out and one on in the top of the fifth, a close call at first base that went in La Roche's favor extended the inning that eventually led to four Redhawk runs.

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Bohman doubled to the right-center gap to get the Lions going. Sada then ripped a ball to third that took a high bounce off the third baseman's shoulder, allowing Bohman to come around and score. David Boehme (Venetia, PA/Seton-La Salle) extended the inning with Behrend's third straight hit, making it first and third.

McGuire came to the plate next and hit a line-drive single through the middle to make it a 4-2 ball game.

The following inning, La Roche added three more runs to jump ahead 7-2 and went on to hold off the Lions for the final two innings.

Boehme finished game one going 2-for-3 from the plate.

Behrend will finish up the regular season on Sunday, May 7, when they travel to Marietta for a single game beginning at 2 p.m.