DelTurco, DiPietrantonio lift Lions, Beaver earns #3 seed in PSUAC Tournament

Bert DeSalvo, staff writer

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Monaca, PA - Penn State Beaver's baseball team earned an important home victory in the second game of the regular season doubleheader finale to earn the #3 seed in the upcoming Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) Baseball Tournament. 

Beaver hoped to clinch the #3 seed in game one, but the Penn College Wildcats (Williamsport, PA) had other ideas. They took a 3-0 lead heading into the sixth inning when it exploded for five runs on just one hit to give the Wildcats a commanding 8-0 lead. Beaver couldn't gather any offense during the game only mustered three hits against Penn College's Harrison Myers. 

However, in the second game, starting pitcher Zack DelTurco (Monaca High School/Monaca, PA) took the mound and had an impressive complete game performance, earning the crucial win. However, the start didn't go according to Beaver's plan when the team was down 2-0 in the second inning after two unearned runs scored by the Wildcats. 

However, Beaver scored two runs in the second as Cory Wagner (Center High School, Monaca, PA) led the inning off with a single and scored on an RBI double by Garrett Covalt (Hopewell High School/Aliquippa, PA). Covalt later scored on a Zeke Nowakowski (Central Valley High School/Monaca, PA) single to left field to tie the game, 2-2. 

Both pitchers held serve until Beaver came to bat in the sixth. Tom Lewis (Hopewell High School/Aliquippa, PA) started the inning off with a single to center, plus a Wagner single and a throwing error gave Beaver runners on the corners with no outs. Wagner stole second base. After a pop-out by Covalt, Nowakowski was intentionally walked to load the bases. Marcus Allen (Union High School/New Castle) earned RBI base-on-balls to give Beaver a 3-2 lead. With two outs, freshman Andy DiPietrantonio (Beaver High School/Beaver, PA) hit a 2-RBI double to give Beaver a 5-2 lead. 

Penn College scored one in the seventh, but Beaver earned the important 5-3 win to vault them to the #3 seed.

DelTurco threw seven innings, giving up zero earned runs while striking out six Wildcat batters and walking only two.

Beaver will play #2 Penn State Brandywine at 4:30 p.m., Friday, April 29, in State College, PA.