Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Washington, D.C. - Penn State Abington started today needing two wins to advance to tomorrow's championship game of the NEAC Tournament. The Nittany Lions earned a hard-fought 5-3 win in game one over hosts Gallaudet, but then the Blue and White dropped a 4-3 decision to Berks in a hard-to-swallow manner. Mark McCouch and Bill Parave both pitched fantastic games on the mound for the Nittany Lions, but in the end, the offense couldn't scratch across enough runs to earn the final win of the day.

In game one against Gallaudet, Penn State Abington actually got into an early hole. In the bottom of the first inning, the Bison (20-21, 11-3 NEAC) jumped out to a 1-0 lead. Back-to-back singles put runners on first and second, and Tommy Barksdale came through with an RBI single on a ground ball through the left side. Then, in the second, J.J. Klein smashed a triple down the left field run for another RBI. However, each time, Nittany Lions starter Mark McCouch pitched out of anymore trouble, giving Penn State Abington their chance to make a comeback later. That comeback got started in the top of the sixth.

The Nittany Lions (22-20, 11-3 NEAC) battled back to make it a 2-1 game in that sixth frame with a few big hits. With one out, Bill Parave smashed a ground-rule double over the left field wall. Mike Kerns followed that up with a single, putting runners at the corners for Dan Hill. Hill broke through with a huge RBI, getting Abington on the board with an infield single to second. Gallaudet starter, and also the NEAC Pitcher of the Year, Brandon Holsworth got out of any further damage in the inning, and the Bison added another run in the bottom of the frame to make it a 3-1 game. However, the Nittany Lions finally had generated some offense, and their bats continued to stay hot in the top of the eighth. A walk and a fielding error put Parave and Kerns on first and second, and then Dan Hill did a great job of moving those runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Then came probably the biggest hit of the day for the Nittany Lions. Tom Ditro came to the plate, and after taking a few pitches, he took a mighty swing, but only managed to dribble the ball in between the pitcher's mound and third base. Holsworth came off the mound to try and make the play at first, but Ditro ran so fast to the bag that it put a lot of pressure on Holsworth to make a fast play. The pitcher sailed the ball well over the head of the Bison first baseman, however, and both Parave and Kerns scored on the error to tie the game at 3-3.

After getting out of the inning, Gallaudet almost came right back to retake the lead. A single, error, and intentional walk loaded the bases for the hosts with nobody out, a combination that almost always results in at least one run scoring. However, McCouch buckled down and pitched what may have been the most important three-out stretch of the season. With the infield drawn in, the lanky righty got a slow ground ball to second. Ted Smallwood fielded the ball cleanly and fired home, getting the runner out in plenty of time. Then, McCouch totally perplexed the next Bison batter with a great mix of pitches, good enough to earn a strikeout, and then he induced another groundout to get out of the major jam unscathed. That great escape job infused a huge amount of positive energy into the Abington dugout, and the very next inning, the Nittany Lions took their first lead of the weekend. A.J. Vagliani continued his amazing weekend at the plate by rocking a triple into deep center. Dustin Kology followed that up with a single up the middle, and suddenly Abington held a 4-3 lead and was three outs away from a win. Kerns later added another RBI with a sac fly to give the Nittany Lions their 5-3 lead. McCouch came out to finish what he started in the bottom of the ninth, and the senior pitched a clean inning, ending with a flyout to left to hand Abington the come-from-behind victory.

With the win, the Nittany Lions advanced to play in the second game of the day against Penn State Berks. Bill Parave got the start for Abington, and after sitting Berks down 1-2-3, the home team jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. With two outs and a runner at second, Mike Kerns rolled a ground ball to second. The Berks shortstop made a bad throw, however, and Mark McCouch came home to score, making it a 1-0 game. Later on in the inning, Berks starter Logan Kurtz lost the strike zone, throwing eight straight balls to load the bases and then force in a run with a walk by Pat Moran. By the time Berks finally got out of the inning, Abington held a 2-0 lead.

Parave and the Nittany Lions defense had a great day out in the field, but ultimately Abington was done in by two big home runs by Berks. In the fourth, Brad Dierolf banged a two-run shot deep over the left field wall to tie the game at 2-2. Then in the sixth, Ryan Tantala pulled a line drive home run just inside the right field foul pole, giving Berks a 3-2 lead. Abington was not done yet, however. In the bottom of the sixth with one out, Tom Ditro reached first on an infield error. He then moved to second on a wild pitch, bringing Pat Moran to the plate with a chance to tie the game with a hit. Moran came through with a great at-bat, lining a single into center to bring home Ditro and knot the game back up at 3-3.

Unfortunately, it would be the final run Abington scored on the day. In the top of the ninth, Berks scratched across a lone run with a one out RBI. A double by Josh Spayd put a runner in scoring position for the visitors. Then, Christian Marcin sent a groundball that bounced directly over the first base bag and down the right field line, bringing home Spayd and giving Berks a 4-3 lead. Abington tried to battle back one last time in the bottom of the ninth. Fran Caruso pinch hit and took a pitch off the shoulder to reach first. Chris Hunter came in to pinch run, and he moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt. However, the Nittany Lions could not bring that tying run in, and Abington took the devastating 4-3 loss.

The loss ends Abington's chase for the NEAC championship. The Nittany Lions will now wait and see about a possible bid into the ECAC tournament later in May. Be sure to check back in at abingtonsports.com for any updates on the Nittany Lions scheduling and possible upcoming games.