ZBEZINSKI LEADS BEHREND PAST ROCHESTER IN NCAA BASEBALL REGIONAL

The Penn State Behrend Lions avoided elimination and ended Rochester's season with a resounding 11-1 win over the Yellowjackets Friday on day two of the D3 baseball Regional. The Lions improved to 26-12 while Rochester, a 9-6 loser to Marietta yesterday, finished the campaign at 24-10. The start of the game was delayed 35 minutes by rain. The baseball contest was the first ever between the two schools.

The Lions, limited to one run by No. 1 seed Rowan Thursday, scored three times in the first against Rochester starter, Trevor Van Allen (3-2). With one out, Anthony Slate and Josh Wagner singled. After Colin Harger popped out, Isaac Stouffer notched his team-leading 22nd walk to load the bases. A wild pitch cost Van Allen and the Yellowjackets a run. Juston Jones then stroked a two-out, two-run double to left center.

The Lions added to their lead in the third. Wagner led off with a double to right. Following an infield grounder, Stouffer doubled over the center fielder's head to plate Wagner and Jones made it 5-0 with a RBI hit to right. Van Allen was replaced by Dillon Bevan who got out of the inning without further damage.

Penn State Behrend got to Bevan in the home fifth. The Lions loaded the bases with no outs on base hits by Harger and Jones, sandwiched around a walk to Stouffer. CJ Weller knocked in a run with an RBI single while Tanner Cicchini plated a second on an infield grounder.

Lions' starter Thomas Zbezinski (8-1) breezed through the first five frames, allowing only two hits while striking out nine. The Yellowjackets finally dented the scoreboard in the sixth when sophomore Aaron Whitley hit a lead-off homer, his fifth of the campaign. Behrend retaliated immediately against Rochester's second relief pitcher, Nathan Slenska, in the bottom of the inning when Slate doubled and ultimately scored on a wild pitch.

The Lions pushed the lead to 10-1 in the seventh when Weller and Zack Bowen singled against Slenska and Paulinellie smashed a two-run triple to left center.

Rochester's fourth pitcher of the day, Nolan Sparks, worked the eighth and allowed an unearned run when Jones drove in Harger with his fourth hit and fourth RBI of the day. The Lions had at least one hit in every inning but the second and stranded eight. Zbezinski surrendered only three hits, fanned eleven, walked one and hit a batter. He threw 144 pitches, 103 strikes.

After totaling five runs in the first inning against Marietta Thursday, Rochester scored only two more in its final 17 innings.

The Lions must wait until later in the day to determine both their next opponent and Saturday game time. The rest of Friday's schdule was put on hold because of inclement weather.

Release Courtesy of John Leisering