Jenkintown, Pa. – It took 19 hours and 49 minutes from first pitch to the final out but it was well worth the wait for the Penn State Abington baseball team as the Nittany Lions defeated Notre Dame of Maryland University, 19-18, in game two of a best of three series in the Second Round of the United East Conference (UEC) Tournament.
Abington won game one on Friday by the score of 23-8 and was leading 19-18 through eighth innings in game two, however the game was suspended due to darkness. With the series victory, the Nittany Lions will advance to the Final Four Double Elimination portion of the conference tournament, which is set to begin on Friday, May 8. The third-seeded Nittany Lions will take on second-seeded Penn State Harrisburg starting at 3 p.m. Keystone College, the top seed and final four host, will face fourth-seeded Lancaster Bible College prior at 12 p.m.
GM2 Score: Penn State Abington 19, Notre Dame 18
WP: Jason Handfield (5-0) | LP: Brysen Keithley (2-4) | S: James Torpey (1)
Records: Penn State Abington (31-11, 12-4 UEC) | Notre Dame (11-21, 7-9 UEC)
Location: Jenkintown, Pa. (Alverthorpe Park)
How It Happened
* Junior James Torpey struck out the leadoff hitting in the ninth and then retired the next batter with a ground out to second. However, the Gators' next two batters reached with back-to-back hits by Breenan Deremeik and Hunter Beil. With the tying run on at second, Torpey was able to strike out Zane Cook on four pitches to close out the game nearly 20 hours after first pitch. It marked Torpey's first career save.
* Prior to the game being suspended, the Gators scored four runs in the top half of the eighth to make it a one-run game at 19-18. Ben Boyer connected on a grand slam home run as he finished the game with six RBI.
* Abington trailed 14-12 entering the bottom of the seventh inning and used a seven-run outburst to lead 19-14. Junior Donato Incollingo hit his second home run of the game in the inning, while junior Domenic Lotruglio recorded a two-run double. The Abington offense took advantage of five walks in the inning and collected five hits.
* Abington jumped out to a 6-0 lead with a six-run second inning that was highlighted by a grand slam home run by Incollingo. The Nittany Lions added two runs in the third and one in the fourth to build their lead 9-1. Junior Akira Nakamura led the fourth off with a solo home run.
* The Gators scored a combined 13 runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Carter Nocca highlighted the fifth with a bases clearing triple and Chase Cichocki had a two-run single in the sixth.
Inside the Box Score
* Incollingo went 3-for-6 with two runs and five RBI; one shy of his career-high. His two home runs pushed his conference lead to 17 and his career number to 30 becoming just the second player in program history. He also moved into third place among the program leaders in RBI with 130.
* Nakamura hit his second home run of the series and on the year as he went 3-for-6 with two runs scored and three RBI.
* Junior Nathan Schurga finished 2-for-3 with three runs and four RBI. Schurga also reached base twice with a pair of walks.
* Sophomore Aqual Chapman went 2-for-2 with three runs and three RBI. Chapman also had a sacrifice fly and drew three walks in the win.
* Freshman Jaxon Horvath also had multiple hits in the game as he went 2-for-3 with four runs. Horvath reached base three times via walks.
* Senior Benjamin Gagnon collected three hits as he finished 3-for-5 with three runs.
* Lotruglio finished 3-for-7 with a run and three RBI.
* Freshman Jason Handfield (5-0) was the pitcher of record for the Nittany Lions after pitching 1.2 innings of relief without allowing a run. Handfield totaled two strikeouts in his appearance.
* For the Gators, Boyer went 2-for-5 with two runs and six RBI, including an eighth inning grand slam. Nocca went 2-for-4 with four RBI, while Cichocki finished 3-for-7 with three runs and three RBI.
All-Time Series
Abington and Notre Dame have met four times this season. The two teams split the regular season matchups as the Nittany Lions are now 3-1 versus the Gators with the second round sweep.
30 and Counting
With the two series wins over the Gators, Abington pushed its season win total to 31 on the year. It marks just the second time the team has reached the 30-win mark and the first since 2022. That year, the Nittany Lions finished 33-11 and advanced to the United East championship game.
Next Up
Abington returns to action on Friday, May 8 as the Nittany Lions face Penn State Harrisburg in the United East Final Four Double Elimination portion of the conference tournament. Game time is slated for 3 p.m.
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