Hazleton splits final day of series with Brandywine

Berwick, Pa. - After losing a pair of games to Brandywine last week, the Nittany Lions squared off with the rival campus in a two game set at the North Berwick Baseball Field on Sunday afternoon. Hazleton responded in game one with a stellar offensive game, notching 13 runs to mercy rule Brandywine in the first outing of the day. But the visitors repaid the favor in game two, racking up 13 runs of their own to top Hazleton three games to one in the season series. 

Game one: Penn State Hazleton 13, Penn State Brandywine 3 - Final, 6 Innings

The Lions fell behind 1-0 after the first inning but the floodgates opened for the Hazleton squad beginning in the bottom of the second inning. Hazleton tacked on five runs in the second, all of which came with two outs in the inning that was capped by a three RBI double by senior Bryce Dalpiaz (Liverpool, Pa.). Hazleton cruised from that point on, tacking on multiple scores in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. The Lions faced some brief resistance from Brandywine in the fourth inning when the visitors posted a pair of runs, but Hazleton's offensive response kept the Brandywine squad well out of reach. The Lions got multi-RBI hits from sophomore Jared Joyce (Jim Thorpe, Pa.) as well as Dalpiaz and senior Colin Hoy (Harlysville, Pa.) in the middle innings, ending the game in swift fashion by the sixth inning 13-3. 

Senior Ryan Wingerter (Dingman's Ferry, Pa.) picked up the win from the mound in game one. The senior tossed all six frames for Hazleton, allowing zero earned runs on nine hits and two walks whiles striking out a pair of Brandywine hitters. Dalpiaz carried the offensive banner in game one for the Nittany Lions, going 3-for-4 with five RBI, a walk and a run scored in the win. 

Game two: Penn State Hazleton 1, Penn State Brandywine 1 - Final, 5 Innings

The tables turned quickly after the intermission with Brandywine going on the offensive early and often. Hazleton pitching gave up multi-run innings in the first four innings of the game, allowing Brandywine to take a 12-0 advantage while shutting down the Nittany Lion offense over that same stretch of innings. Brandywine tacked on an extra score in the top of the fifth and Hazleton broke up the shut out on a single by Avery Edmonds (Nazareth, Pa.) in the bottom half of the inning but Brandywine swiftly squashed the would-be rally to end the game 13-1 in five innings. 

Hazleton was held to just three hits in game two including the Edmonds pinch-hit RBI single. Other Nittany Lions collecting base knocks included freshman Eli Tyrrell (Halifax, Pa.) who went 1-for-3 and freshman Andrew Mietzler who went 1-for-1 in the loss. Sophomore Jared Marykwas (Jim Thorpe, Pa.) earned the loss from the hill for Hazleton in game two, pitching two innings while allowing five earned runs on eight hits. 

Next up: Hazleton has four days off before squaring off with Penn State Wilkes-Barre on Friday, April 7 in a non-league double-header. First pitch slated for 2:00 p.m. on Friday at the Hazle Township Babe Ruth Field.