Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Abington, Pa. - In two very differently-styled games earlier this afternoon, Penn State Abington swept a NEAC doubleheader against Keuka College, winning by scores of 7-0 and 4-3, with the second game going into extra innings. Bill Parave got the win in game one and hit the game-winning RBI in game two, while Mark McCouch, A.J. Vagliani, and Dan Hill all had solid offensive days among others.
 
Keuka (2-13, 1-5 NEAC) probably thought their day couldn't get much worse when their bus broke down on the way to the game from New York. Fortunately, the Storm were just a few miles from the exit on the PA turnpike, and a few of Abington's fine athletic administrators ferried the team the rest of the way to the field in vans. Unfortunately for the visitors, it was just the beginning of what would turn out to be a long day.
 
Penn State Abington (14-15, 5-1 NEAC) got on the board early in game one, jumping out to a 1-0 lead on a Mike Kerns RBI single. With one out in the inning, McCouch and Parave hit back-to-back singles, and Kerns came to the plate and laced a line drive into left center to bring home the run. Then, in the bottom of the second, the floodgates really opened for the Blue and White. With two outs and a runners on first and second, it was Vagliani who came to the plate. The junior smashed a double to deep right center field, scoring Tom Ditro and Ted Smallwood to make the score 3-0 for Abington. Moments later, after a Dustin Kology bunt single, it was McCouch at the plate once again, this time sending a two-RBI single into left to add to the Nittany Lions lead. When Keuka finally got themselves out of the inning, the hosts held a 5-0 advantage.
 
Parave was pitching masterfully on the mound, perplexing Keuka batters with a solid mix of pitches. The senior leader made it through four innings, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out five. However, due to an injury from running the bases in the first inning, the Nittany Lions opted to pull their starter after four innings as a precaution. No matter, though, as the bullpen of the Blue and White did a solid job itself at keeping the shutout going. Robert Morak, Chris Hunter, and Sean McNeill combining to go the rest of the way, giving up just three hits and a walk while striking out three.
 
Abington did tack on a couple more runs to sew up the game late. In the bottom of the fourth, McCouch lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Vagliani from third. Then, in the last of the fifth, Dan Hill came to the plate and crushed a home run to straightaway center field for his first of the season and the final run of Abington's 7-0 victory.
 
Game two had a completely different feel to it almost from the beginning. This time, it was Keuka who got on board first in the game with their first run of the day. A single from Justyn Schuck opened the game for the Storm, and then a sacrifice bunt gave Keuka their first out, but it moved Schuck all the way to third when the infield failed to cover the base. An RBI double to left from Keith Prestano brought Schuck home, and Keuka held their first lead of the day at 1-0.
 
Abington answered back in the bottom of the second. Dan Hill and Tom Ditro led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and then Pat Moran came to the plate and singled into right to score Ditro. However, Keuka starter Zach Nobles managed to get out of the jam without allowing any more runs, getting a caught stealing and two strikeouts to escape damage. The Storm then retook the lead in the top of the fourth, leading off the inning with back-to-back doubles to jump ahead by a 2-1 score. In fact, it certainly appeared that the Storm would increase their lead even further, as they managed to load the bases with nobody out in that inning against Abington starter Dan Hill. However, Hill buckled down big time to escape the jam, getting an infield fly and back-to-back strikeouts looking to close the frame and limit the damage.
 
Then, it the bottom of the frame, Hill helped out his own cause once again. A double from Kerns, followed by a balk, set the plate for Hill, and the talented senior came through with a single through the middle to score Kerns and make the score 2-2. Then, in the bottom of the fifth, the Nittany Lions took their first lead of the game. A walk, wild pitch, and sacrifice bunt from A.J. Vagliani put Ted Smallwood on third base with one out. Dustin Kology came to the plate a laced a single into center to score Smallwood and give Abington a 3-2 lead.
 
Things appeared all set for the Blue and White to close out the game and earn their second victory of the day until the Storm put together a few big at bats to get themselves back in the contest. Some erratic pitching and defense from the Nittany Lions loaded the bases for Keuka with nobody out. Then, a crazy play tied the game for the Storm, but also helped Abington get out of the jam. McCouch moved from his second base position onto the mound, and the next Storm batter hit a fly ball single into the gap in left center. However, a few of the runners were late trying to advance. Kyle McVannan scored from third, but the Nittany Lions cut down the next runner at the plate on great throws from Kology and Ditro. Then, Kerns made a heads up play behind the plate to catch another runner too far off second base, and after a brief rundown, the Nittany Lions had their second out in the same play.
 
With nobody scoring in the rest of the seventh, the teams headed to extra innings, the fifth such occasion for the Nittany Lions this season. Sean McNeill came in to pitch for Abington, and got the Storm out in order in the top of the eighth. Then came the dramatic bottom half of the inning for Abington. McCouch and Kerns got things started with a pair of singles to open the frame. Hill laid down a solid sacrifice bunt that he himself almost beat to first, giving Abington two cracks at the game-winning run at third. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, Abington head coach Joe Pavlow sent Bill Parave to the plate to pinch hit. Parave, sitting out game two after injury in game one, was still in great condition to pinch hit, and the senior managed to end the game all in one swing. With the infield and outfield playing in to cut down any baserunners at home, Parave sent a fly ball skying over the head of the Keuka center fielder, scoring McCouch and giving Abington a 4-3 victory.
 
With the win, Abington holds on to one of the top spots in the NEAC conference standings about halfway through the conference season. The Nittany Lions will have a chance to continue their dominant play when they hit the diamond for another doubleheader tomorrow afternoon at Alverthorpe Park. Game one against Cazenovia is set for 12:00 pm.