Penn St.-Behrend takes two from Muskingum

The Muskingum baseball team lost a pair of heartbreaking games to non-conference opponent Penn St.-Behrend by the final scores of 4-2 and 6-5 on Sunday afternoon at the Mose Morehead Field.

The Basics 

• Records: Muskingum (6-7 overall), Penn St.-Behrend (5-6 overall)
• Location: New Concord, Ohio - Mose Morehead Field 

Inside the Numbers- Game One:

• Muskingum scored two runs on seven hits.
• Junior Michael Pagano led the squad by going 2-for-3 at the plate with one run scored and one RBI.
• Junior Nate Mejia went 2-for-3 at the dish with one RBI, while sophomore Holden Martin went 2-for-4 at the plate.
• Freshman pitcher Nolan Fernandes took the loss after allowing five hits on four runs. He registered five strikeouts in the game.

Inside the Numbers- Game Two:

• Muskingum scored five runs on nine hits
• Junior Ben Van Wey went 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored
• Senior Eddie Harper went 2-for-4 at the plate with one RBI.
• Freshman Matt Stewart finished with a team-high two RBIs.
• Senior pitcher Kyle Schmitgen took the loss from the mound.

Game Highlights

In game one, Muskingum jumped on the scoreboard first as Mejia singled up the middle to bring home Pagano across the plate in the bottom of the second inning. The Muskies grabbed another run in the bottom of the third when Pagano got the RBI single to push the lead 2-0. The next three innings were quiet as no runs were scored. However, that changed in the top of the seventh inning when Penn St.-Behrend's Scott Sada blasted a grand slam to take the 4-2 lead. The Muskies couldn't produce the comeback as the Lions took game one.

The Lions crashed the board in the top of the first inning of game two to take the early 2-0 advantage. Penn St.-Behrend notched another run in the top of the third and two more in the top of the fourth to hold the 5-0 lead. The Muskies broke their silence in the bottom of the fourth as Brad Donathan scored off a walk, Stewart's sacrifice fly brought home Mejia for the run, and an RBI single from Harper cut the Lions lead down to, 5-3. The bottom of the sixth was an exciting one as Muskingum tied the game at 5-5 off an RBI single from Stewart and a throwing error by the Lions, which brought home Stewart for the run scored. The Lions did not back away as they started the top of the eighth with a double, then a throwing error by Muskingum's pitcher allowed the Lions to reach home plate to take the lead back, 6-5. The Muskies had two more opportunities in the bottom of the eighth and ninth inning but were unable to score.  

Up Next

• Muskingum will continue home play as they take on Bethany (W.V.) in a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 20 at the Mose Morehead Field. Game times are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.