Crusaders Split Doubleheader Against PSU Schuykill

Front Royal, VA – The Christendom College baseball team continues to add to their record with a win against a tough competitor, the Penn State Schuylkill Nittany Lions, 6-2. The Crusaders also ended up with a loss in the second game of this double header, 12-9. Their current record holds at 4-2, giving them an impressive 0.667-win percentage. 

Game 1

Offensively, the Crusaders shared the work with multiple players putting hits on the stats sheet. Paul Amuso (Sophomore/ Bristow, VA) and Gus Coleman (Junior/ Milwaukee, WI) carried the team with a total of three hits each in the game. Also playing a crucial role for the team was Will Reese (Junior/ Manassas, VA), finishing with two hits and two RBIs. Pitcher Joe Romero (Sophomore/ Valley Center, CA) started on the mound, playing a total of 5 innings, and having 4 strikeouts. He was followed by Edmund Thomas (Freshman/ Corpus Christi, TX) and Matt O'Hara (Sophomore/ Hershey, PA) who closed out the game. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Crusaders' defense took the field in at the beginning of the game and had an impressive inning, securing three back-to-back outs. Although Christendom put up a fight, Penn State also obtained quick outs, and the first inning came to an end 0-0. 

The top of the second saw little action, but the Crusaders were able to put three runs on the board in the bottom of the inning. Reese doubled to bring Rowland Thornberry (Freshman/ Richmond, VA) home. Reese also made his way to home base, followed by George Storey (Sophomore/ Amissville, VA).

Penn State was able to make a dent in the Crusaders' 3-0 lead, with a run in the top of the third inning. Christendom answered the Nittany Lions by adding another run to their score as well, thanks to a run by O'Hara. The fourth inning proved promising for the Crusaders as they held Penn State and again rounded home base. Christendom's fourth run brought in by Amuso. 

The Nittany Lions added to their score with a single run in the following inning. The action remained slow until the bottom of the sixth, when the Crusaders added to their count with a run by Thomas. This concluded the action in the first game, as Christendom beat the Nittany Lions with a final score of 6-2. 

Game 2

Starting out throwing for the Crusaders was Coleman. Thornberry took over on the mound after 3.1 innings and finished with an impressive number of strikeouts, 7 in total. Romero and Thornberry had notable hits bringing in 5 total runs. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Penn State struck quickly in the first inning, putting up 4 runs. The Crusaders were unable to respond this inning. Again, the Nittany Lions rounded home, making it a 5-0 game. Thornberry took things into his own hands as he homered past centerfield to bring O'Hara home. 

Going into the top of the third inning, the Crusaders trailed by 3 runs. They were able to hold the Nittany Lions in the top of the inning and bring in an additional 2 runs from Romero and O'Hara, making the game 5-4. 

After a long fourth inning, Penn State and the Crusaders both added to the scoreboard.  Penn State added a total of 4 runs, and Christendom added 3. The fifth inning proved to be inactive, neither team making it home.  

The Crusaders were able to hold the Nittany Lions to a single run in the top of the sixth and also bring in a total of two runs, one from Storey and another from Coleman. The game was extremely tight at 10-9 going into the final inning. Penn State was able to bring two runners around the bases to give them a total of 12 runs in the game. The Crusaders battled hard to stay alive in this final inning but could not bring anyone home. 

The Crusaders fell to the Nittany Lions with a close score of 12-9.  

Next Up: The Crusaders will travel to take on ESAC opponent, the Manor College Blue Jays, at the end of their Spring break, Friday, March 14^th at 1PM and 3PM. They will also face another conference opponent, Williamson, away the following day, Saturday, March 15^th at 1PM and 3PM.