Wildcat Baseball Team Fights to Stay Alive in USCAA Loser's Bracket
Published 05.12.2009
HAMPTON, Va. The Pennsylvania College of Technology baseball team stumbled getting out of the gate Tuesday in the first round of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Championships and is fighting for its playoff life in a loser's bracket game Wednesday morning.
The Wildcats lost to Briarcliffe (N.Y.) College, 12-5, and need a win in their 9:30 a.m. game against Penn State University Athletic Conference foe Penn State Greater Allegheny to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament. Penn State Greater Allegheny dropped its opener Tuesday to St. Catharine (Ky.) College, 6-0. All action is taking place at War Memorial Stadium.
Briarcliffe came out strong, getting 15 hits and building a 12-0 lead through six innings before Penn College got on the scoreboard with a five-run seventh. But it was too little too late as Penn College fell to 35-8 overall and saw its 11-game win streak end.
Garrett Hornung (Emporium) went 3-for-5 at the plate and drove in one run, while Devon Liquori (Hawley) hit a two-run home run to supply most of the Wildcats' offense.
Starting Penn College pitcher Mark Shaffer (Hanover) lasted just 3 2/3 innings and took the loss. He allowed five runs, although only two were earned as the Wildcats committed an uncharacteristic four errors during the game. Penn College stranded 13 runners.
"We gave them more than three outs the first couple of innings. Errors hurt us and we gave up some unearned runs and when you get to tournaments like this with teams that are as good as you, you can't afford to do that and expect to win," remarked Wildcats coach Chris Howard.
"It was probably the worst we've played all year and it was tough for the guys to swallow, but now we've got Greater Allegheny and it's just move forward,"he added.
The winner of the Penn College-Penn StateGreater Allegheny game has its work cut out as it is scheduled to take the field again Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. The winner of the 2:30 game plays again at 7:30 Wednesday night, and the winner of that game plays again at 11 a.m. Thursday for a shot at getting into Thursday's 1:30 p.m. championship game.