In what will be their busiest week of the season, Pennsylvania College of Technology baseball and softball teams went a combined 5-10. Meanwhile, the college’s archery team turned in a strong showing at the U.S. National Indoor Championships.
BASEBALL
Competing at The Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, during the week:
Monday — The Wildcats lost to Chatham University, 7-2, as Chatham tallied five times in the seventh inning and Penn College committed four errors. Colton Riley, of Danville, had two doubles during the game for the Wildcats and Cole Hofmann, of Newtown, had one.
Tuesday – Penn College opened the day with a 9-4 loss against Catholic University. Alex Zelger, of Red Lion, led the Wildcats with a 3 for 4 plate appearance, including a RBI triple. In the nightcap against Mt. Aloysius College, Penn College lost, 12-10. A six-run eighth inning gave the Wildcats an 8-7 lead, but Mt. Aloysius scored five runs in the top of the ninth and Penn College could only manage two runs in its last at-bat. Brittan Kittle, of Millville, and Ben Flicker, of Topton, each had three hits for Penn College while Zelger had two hits, drove in three runs and scored twice.
Wednesday – Facing Bridgewater College, the Wildcats fell, 25-0, extending their losing streak to five games. Bridgewater hammered out 33 hits while limiting Penn College to four.
Thursday – Closing out its Myrtle Beach trip against Pennsylvania-opponent Wilkes University, Penn College won, 7-4, to complete a 3-5 “Experience.” During the game, Brittan Kittle, of Millville, and Cody Cline, of Waynesboro, each had three hits — one of Kittle’s was a home run — and Riley drove in two runs. Nathan Holt, of Shippensburg, pitched five innings in relief and earned the win, striking out six.
Penn College now is idle until March 25 when it hosts Lebanon Valley College in a doubleheader at noon at Bowman Field.
SOFTBALL
Facing Mt. Aloysius College in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, last Sunday in its season opener, Penn College won, 8-6. Later in the day, against Cedar Crest College, the Wildcats lost, 11-3. In the first game, Elizabeth Asher, of East Stroudsburg, singled in what turned out to be the game winning runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Taylor Brooks, of Cogan Station, had a two-run double in the second inning for the Wildcats as she and Kassidy Svenson, of Auburn, handled all of the mound work with Svenson getting the win. In the second game, Penn College fell behind 6-0 after four innings and despite rallying for three runs in the fifth, couldn’t come back. Asher and Alyssa Gentile, of Fairport, New York, each had two hits for the Wildcats, who committed four errors.
In other Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic action in North Myrtle Beach:
Monday – In its first game, Penn College lost to The Sage Colleges, 4-2. Taylor Krow, of Mechanicsburg, and Tiana McCormick, of Williamsport, each had two hits for the Wildcats. In its second game, Penn College led 4-2 after the top of the seventh but unbeaten Eureka College scored three times in the bottom half of the inning for a 5-4 win. McCormick went 3 for 3 for Penn College.
Tuesday – Penn College lost to King’s College, 8-3, in its first game of the day. During the contest, the Wildcats out-hit King’s 11-6, but stranded 12 base runners. Against Regis College in its second contest, the Wildcats snapped a four-game losing streak with an 18-9 victory. In the second game, Kylie Shreiner, of East Petersburg, went 4 for 5 at the plate with a pair of doubles, three runs batted in and three runs scored as Penn College pounded out 20 hits and scored six runs in each of the last two innings.
Wednesday – In the day’s first game against Mary Baldwin College, the Wildcats won, 5-3, despite committing five errors. Krow and Taylor Brooks, of Cogan Station, each had three hits for Penn College while Kassidy Svenson, of Auburn, improved to 2-0 on the mound. Later in the day against Chatham University, Penn College closed out the South Carolina portion of its trip with a 13-0 win. Morgan Heritage, of New Castle, Delaware, pitched a six-hit, five-strikeout shutout while pacing the Wildcats’ offense were Mikenna Lyons, of Centre Hall, with three hits, three runs batted in and three runs scored, and Shreiner with two hits and four RBIs.
Virginia Wesleyan University Beach Blast
Friday – After an off-day, Penn College traveled north to Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it competed in the Virginia Wesleyan University Beach Blast. In its first game against Manhattanville College, Penn College lost, 7-1, as it was limited to three hits and saw its three-game win streak stopped. In their second game, the Wildcats fell to Roanoke College, 13-1, getting just five hits.
Saturday – Opening the day against SUNY Fredonia, Penn College dropped its third game in a row, 8-1, although its bats started warming again with nine hits. Wrapping up its trip later in the day, Penn College scored a 5-4 win, aided by a four-run first inning on Gentile’s grand-slam home run, to end the week with a 5-7 record.
The Wildcats are scheduled to return to action on Thursday with a doubleheader at Wilkes University.
ARCHERY
On March 3-4 at the 49th U.S. National Indoor Championships at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, several Pennsylvania College of Technology archers scored well on both the regional and national levels.
In the Women’s Bowhunter Division, Erica Gause, of Bloomsburg, scored 1,131 to rank second in the region and fourth in the nation; in men’s bowhunter, Nathaniel Haefka, of Wyalusing, scored 1,158 to rank second in the region and fourth in the nation; in men’s compound, Markus Weber, of La Plata, Maryland, scored 1,151 to rank second in the region and seventh in the nation; and in women’s compound, Chelsea Douglass, of East Greenville, scored 1,103 to rank second in the region and 14th nationally.
Also for Penn College, Tim Lamont, of Eldred, with an 1,150, is ranked third in the region and eighth nationally in men’s compound; Justin Rinehimer, of Mt. Top, with an 1,152, is ranked third in the region and 11th nationally in men’s bowhunter; Seth Bechdel, of Beech Creek, with an 1,148, is ranked fourth in the region and 11thnationally in men’s bowhunter.
Ranked fifth in the region are Tanner Huff, of Altoona, (1,021 score, 34th nationally in men’s recurve); Kaylee Burk, of Hermitage, (938 score, 45th nationally in women’s recurve); Tyler Schoonover, of Bradford, (1,139 score, 15th nationally in men’s compound); Sapphire Naugle, of Jersey Shore, (1,077 score, 25th nationally in women’s compound); John Kleinfelter, of Lebanon, (1,128 score, 20th nationally in men’s bowhunter); and Rylee Butler, of Bellefonte, (1,079 score, 10th nationally in women’s bowhunter).
Ranked sixth in the region are Aaron Cummings, of Mountville, (1,134 score, 16th nationally in men’s compound) and Sabrina Toplovich, of Spring Creek, (1,068 score, 28th nationally in women’s compound).
David Fox, of Coburn, with a score of 1,109, is ranked ninth in the region and 32nd in the nation in men’s compound and Josh Maring, of Brookville, with a score of 913, is ranked 11th in the region and 71st nationally in men’s recurve.
“(We) had a very good showing in all the divisions for the Eastern Regional Tournament. Though we didn’t have any archer win their division, we had a strong showing in each division,” coach Chad Karstetter said.
“Everybody on the team shot around their average, which is very hard to do at event of this magnitude. Dustin (assistant coach Dustin Bartron) and I were very pleased with the outcome from everyone. All their hard work this season so far is starting to pay off,” Karstetter said.
“From the way it looks for the national rankings, we are going to have quite a few athletes in contention for an All-American finish (at the end of the season),” the coach said.
“(Next), we will be hitting the indoor range pretty hard getting equipment set up before the start of our outdoor season. The score that they shot (at the indoor nationals) will also be used at the outdoor regional tournament in New Jersey at the end of April to find the All-East team.
Next up for the Wildcats is the Adam Wheatcroft Memorial at James Madison University in Harrisonburg on April 14-15.
SCHEDULE/RECORDS/RESULTS
Baseball
Overall: 3-5
The Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Monday, March 5 – vs. Chatham University, L, 7-2
Tuesday, March 6 – vs. Catholic University, L, 9-4
Tuesday, March 6 – vs. Mt. Aloysius College, L, 12-10
Wednesday, March 7 – vs. Bridgewater College, L, 25-0
Thursday, March 8 – vs. Wilkes University, W, 7-4
Sunday, March 25 – host Lebanon Valley College at Bowman Field (2), noon
Friday, March 30 – at Cabrini University (2), noon
Saturday, March 31 – at Pitt-Bradford (2), 1 p.m.
Saturday, April 7 – host Cazenovia College (NEAC) at Bowman Field (2), 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 8 – host Wells College (NEAC) at Bowman Field (2), noon
Wednesday, April 11 – host King’s College at Bowman Field (2), 4:30 p.m.
Softball
Overall: 5-7
Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic at North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Monday, March 5 – vs. The Sage Colleges, L, 4-2
Monday, March 5 – vs. Eureka College, L, 5-4
Tuesday, March 6 – vs. King’s College, L, 8-3
Tuesday, March 6 – vs. Regis College, W, 18-9
Wednesday, March 7 – vs. Mary Baldwin College, W, 5-3
Wednesday, March 7 – vs. Chatham University, W, 13-0, 5 innings
Virginia Wesleyan Beach Blast at Virginia Beach, Va.
Friday, March 9 – vs. Manhattanville College, L, 7-1
Friday, March 9 – vs. Roanoke College, L, 13-1
Saturday, March 10 – vs. SUNY Fredonia, L, 8-1
Saturday, March 10 – vs. Shenandoah University, W, 5-4
Thursday, March 15 – at Wilkes University (2), 4 p.m.
Wednesday, March 21 – at Susquehanna University (2), 3 p.m.
Saturday, March 24 – host Potsdam State at Elm Park (2), 2 p.m.
Saturday, March 31 – host Morrisville State College (NEAC) at Elm Park (2), 3 p.m.
Tuesday, April 3 – at Cazenovia College (NEAC, 2), 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 7 – at Wilson College (NEAC, 2), 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 8 – at Penn State Berks (NEAC, 2), noon
Friday, April 13 – at Keuka College (NEAC, 2), 3 p.m.
Archery
Saturday–Sunday, April 14-15 – Adam Wheatcroft Memorial, Harrisonburg, Va.
Saturday–Sunday, April 21-22 – Outdoor Eastern Regionals, Bloomfield, N.J.
For more on Penn College athletics visit: www.pctwildcats.com
For more on the North Eastern Athletic Association visit: neacsports.com