Wild Finish Gives Eagles Split at Penn St.-Behrend

By: Laura Chapman
Assistant Sports Information Director
chapmal@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
Photo: J.D. Cavrich Photography 

ERIE, Pa. – The Juniata College baseball team was just one strike away from dropping a doubleheader to Penn St.-Behrend before they mounted a five-run top-of-the-seventh comeback to capture game two. Juniata fell 3-0 in game one before taking the drama filled second matchup 5-2 win and moving the Eagles to 7-25 on the year.

Game one showcased a pitchers dual between Juniata senior Joe Sforza (Pittstown, N.J. / Immaculata) and Penn St.-Behrend's Justin Wood. Sforza went the distance for the Eagles giving up just five hits over six complete innings. It wasn't until the bottom of the sixth inning that the Lions managed to score the only three runs of the game.

Juniata wasn't without its chances as the Eagles opened the game with a leadoff single by senior Derek Heath (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon). Sforza reached on a fielder's choice and junior Cody Krepps (Tyrone, Pa. / Bellwood-Antis) and senior Dan Gray (Johnstown, Pa. / Richland) each reached safely to load the bases with two outs. The Lions mustered one more out to get out of the first inning unscathed.

After a scoreless bottom of the first, freshman Brady Cotler (Chadds Ford, Pa. / Salesianum) reached on a leadoff single and Heath ripped his second hit of the game, but both were stranded on base. Heath drew a leadoff walk on the top of the fifth and Sforza was intentionally walked for two runners on and just one out. The Lions pulled off an around-the-horn double play to end the inning.

After allowing the games only runs in the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles got a two out base runner in the top of the final frame when senior Brad Medellin (Lewisberry, Pa. / Red Land) reached on an error, but couldn't muster a comeback and fell 3-0.

The comeback was in full force in game two. The Lions managed one run in the bottom of the second and an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth for the 2-0 lead heading into the final frame. Up to that point, the Eagles had stranded eight runners on base and managed six hits. The Lions sat down the first two batters of the seventh via the strikeout and were one strike away from claiming victory before Medellin drew a two out walk.

Sforza followed up with a single, which forced a Behrend pitching change. Gray belted his second double of the game to score Medellin and move Sforza to third. Cotler loaded the bases with a single to the shortstop and sophomore David DeFreest (Duxburry, Vt. / Harwood Union) tied the game and gave the Eagles their first lead of the day with one swing. Sforza and Gray scored on DeFreest's double and Cotler scored on an error on the next play. Sophomore Joe Klusman (Wilmington, Del. / St. Elizabeth High School) was the ninth batter in the inning for Juniata and his single to left field scored DeFreest for the fifth run of the inning.

After the Lions managed the third out of the seventh, freshman Eric Grace (Hopewell, Pa. / Northern Bedford) took to the hill to close out the complete game win. Grace allowed two runners in the third, but Sforza fielded a groundball, stepped on third for the second out, and got the third out at first for a game-ending double play. Grace threw seven full innings giving up just four hits and two runs while striking out four.

Juniata will be back in action at home Monday, April 21, at 3 p.m. when they host Elizabethtown College in a single nine-inning game on Langdon-Goodale Field.

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