Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Abington, Pa. – Penn State Abington got another pair of crucial NEAC wins earlier this afternoon, as they stormed past Cazenovia by scores of 8-1 and 8-3 on a beautiful day at Alverthorpe Park. Connor MacFarlene and Mark McCouch both pitched strong games, earning a pair of victories that pushed the Nittany Lions over the .500 mark for the first time all season and gave Abington a strong 7-1 conference record heading into a busy week.
 
Cazenovia (8-14, 1-7 NEAC) actually got on the board first in each game today, starting off game one with a 1-0 lead thanks to an RBI single by Zach Levanduski. With runners on second and third and one out, Levanduski sent a line drive into left field, scoring a run and putting runners at the corners. However, MacFarlene was able to get a tailor-made double play ball to second base to end the inning and get out of the inning. Then, in the bottom of the second, Abington answered back with three runs to take the lead for themselves. With Tom Ditro on third and one out, Michael Corrigan singled to center to tie the game at one apiece. Later in the frame, A.J. Vagliani came up with a huge hit, a two-out triple all the way to the fence in left center to score Corrigan. Dustin Kology followed that up with an RBI single, and when the dust finally settled on the inning, the Nittany Lions held a 3-1 lead.
 
Penn State Abington (16-15, 7-1) continued their onslaught in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded and one out, Mark McCouch stepped to the plate and laced an RBI single into left center to move everyone up a bag. Mike Kerns followed that up with an RBI single of his own that plated two more runs. Later in the inning, Ditro reached on a fielder's choice that the Wildcats unsuccessfully tried to turn two on, scoring McCouch. Finally, the Nittany Lions executed a double steal to perfection, with Ditro taking off from first and inducing a throw, allowing Mike Kerns to steal home for the eighth and final run of the game for the Blue and White. With MacFarlene dealing on the mound, and Brian Camp pitching excellently in relief, it was more than enough scoring to clinch the victory for the home squad. MacFarlene ended the day going six full innings, allowing just two hits, two walks, and an unearned run while striking out three. Camp allowed just one hit in his only inning of work, while getting strikeouts as two of the three outs he earned.
 
In game two, it was Cazenovia once again getting on the board first. In the top of the third, the bases were loaded with one out for Dan Hodne of the Wildcats. McCouch, starter of the second game, was able to get a ground ball to first, and Dan Hill made a perfect throw to second to get the first out of a potential double play. However, the Nittany Lions couldn't get the ball back to first in time, and Cazenovia pushed across the run and took a 1-0 lead.

The Nittany Lions didn't waste any time in getting that lead back for themselves, however. After a walk and a single opened the bottom of the inning, it was Kerns once again coming through, this time with an RBI double to deep center field that scored a run and tied the game at one. Later in the inning, Ditro lifted a sacrifice fly to center to bring home another run and give the Nittany Lions a 2-1 lead. Then, it was Cazenovia's turn to jump back out in front. In the top of the next inning, the Wildcats opened with a single and a double before Chris Williams plated both of those runners with a single down the right field line. Suddenly, the visitors were in front 3-2 and looking for more. McCouch, however, did a great job at bearing down and getting out of the inning without allowing any further damage.
 
In the bottom of that fourth inning, the Nittany Lions offense exploded for five runs of the own as the Blue and White clinched the game for good. Dustin Kology, McCouch, Kerns, and Ditro all got at least one RBI, with the biggest hit being a two-RBI triple from McCouch that bounced just in front of the fence in right center to give Abington a 5-3 lead. When the inning finally came to an end, the Nittany Lions held a 7-3 lead, and they added one more run later on a Kerns RBI groundout to give the Blue and White their ultimate 8-3 victory.
 
With the pair of wins, Abington accomplished three positive things. First, they moved over the .500 mark, as far as their overall record goes, for the first time all season. Secondly, the win is the Nittany Lions seventh in their last eight and their third straight victory overall. Finally, and probably most importantly, the Nittany Lions moved to 7-1 in their conference games, staying just one game behind Penn State Harrisburg for first place in the conference over halfway through the season. The team with have plenty of chances to continue their fantastic play this upcoming week, as Penn State Abington will play a total of six games over the next seven days, including crucial conference tilts at Gallaudet on Saturday and at home versus Harrisburg on Sunday. Their first test will come on Tuesday afternoon, however, as they make the trip to The College of New Jersey for a single game starting at 3:30 pm.