Box Score Washington, D.C. – Penn State Abington opened play in the NEAC Conference Tournament with a tough loss earlier this afternoon. The Nittany Lions fell by a score of 1-9 to Penn State Harrisburg in the double-elimination style tournament. Abington starter Connor Macfarlane took the loss while Mark McCouch knocked in the lone RBI for the Blue and White. With the loss, Penn State Abington is relegated to play in tomorrow's games, starting with a matchup against hosts Gallaudet in a matchup of the two 0-1 teams in the tournament.
 
In a similar fashion to the first two games between these teams, today's game started as a pitcher's duel. Penn State Abington's Macfarlane and Harrisburg's Jim Klingerman got through the first two innings scoreless, and only Abington's Tom Ditro had recorded a hit for either side. Harrisburg (24-14, 10-4 NEAC) finally broke through in the top of the third, however. Back-to-back walks opened the inning, and after a fielder's choice, single, and flyout to center, the visitors had the bases loaded with two outs. Macfarlane was able to induce a ground ball off the bat of Ross Baker, but it was hit so deep in the shortstop hole that Baker beat out the throw and everybody was safe. Macfarlane struck out the next batter to end the threat, but Harrisburg came away with a 1-0 lead.
 
Penn State Abington (21-20, 11-3 NEAC) nearly tied it back up in the very next inning. With one out, A.J. Vagliani and Dustin Kology smashed back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second. However, as would become a pattern for the rest of the day, Klingerman got out of danger with two flyouts, and Harrisburg held onto their one-run lead. Macfarlane continued to keep Abington in the game with a good mix of pitches, and Abington got another good scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fifth. Pat Moran singled to lead off the inning. The Nittany Lions put on the bunt to try and move the runner up to second, but the bunt attempt was missed and Moran got picked off of first base by the catcher. Vagliani later singled again to keep the inning alive, but Klingerman again escaped any harm, this time when Vagliani was caught stealing second.
 
With the Nittany Lions continuing to come up empty at the plate, and the walks starting to pile up for Harrisburg, it was only a matter of time before the visitors knocked in a few more runs. Their onslaught started in the top of the seventh, when Baker came to the plate with two runners on and two outs. Once again, Baker lined a single into left center, this time scoring two and giving Harrisburg a 3-0 lead. Then, in the eighth, the visitors exploded for four more runs, including yet another RBI for Baker. Harrisburg finally wrapped up their scoring in the ninth with two more runs, giving themselves their nine total runs.
 
Abington finally got on the board in the bottom of the eighth. The inning started with potential to be a big one, as Fran Caruso drew a walk in his pinch-hitting appearance, and then Vagliani doubled to left center to put runners on second and third. After a popup to the infield made it one out, Mark McCouch sent a sacrifice fly to right to bring in a run. However, the rally was cut short after that, and Abington only came away with the one run. In their final chance in the bottom of the ninth, Mike Kerns reached on an error to start a potential rally. However, Klingerman struck out the next batter and later induced a 5-4-3 double play to close out the game with a bang.
 
Jim Klingerman and Ross Baker had huge games for Harrisburg. Klingerman pitched a complete game, giving up just one run on seven hits while striking out four batters. Baker went 3-for-6 at the plate and knocked in four of the Nittany Lions' nine runs on the day. For Abington, A.J. Vagliani had a fantastic day at the plate, going 3-for-3 and making a few sparkling catches in left field. However, there was simply not enough offense for Abington to keep pace with the Harrisburg run production.
 
With the loss, Abington will have to play against Gallaudet University tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. The Bison lost to Penn State Berks earlier this morning by a 5-3 score. The winner of the Abington-Gallaudet game will take on the loser of today's Harrisburg-Berks game for a place in the championship game. Keep tuned to @abingtonsports on Twitter for live play-by-play of all the Penn State Abington action, and check in at abingtonsports.com for full recaps and scheduling.