Baseball: Bison pitching shuts down Lions; Sweep doubleheader

Drew VonScio, Student Assistant for Athletic Communications 

BETHANY, WV – Riding a six-game win streak into today's doubleheader, the Bison looked to keep racking up the wins. Bethany scored 21 runs over the course of 14 innings played this afternoon, sweeping Penn State-Beaver by scores of 6-0 and 15-2.

The Green and White got the offense going early in the opening half of the doubleheader with a trio of runs. Josh Speaker kicked it off with a single to left field scoring Nick Roell. Alec Berg then reached on an error that allowed Speaker to cross the plate before Luke Beatty singled to right and plated Berg.

Bethany picked up in the fourth where they left off in the first as Tyler Mckee singled to drive in Hayden Fox. Stoneman then dropped in a double to center to score Mckee and Bennett.

Four pitchers were utilized in game one with Mark Lavezza getting the start. He went two innings without conceding a baserunner and striking out one. He was then followed by Trey Mantle, Zach Nolf, and Payton Zupko who continued to plow through the Lions lineup. Bison pitchers tallied four strikeouts in the 9-0 win.

As the second game started, the Bison offense shifted into a completely different gear putting up a whopping nine runs in the first inning. Stoneman kept his hot streak going at the plate by picking up an RBI when he grounded out to short scoring Devin Toothman. Derek Black singled to center which allowed CJ Owens to round the bases. Beatty picked up two more RBI with a single to right plating Berg and Black before Mike Hines hit a double to left and drove in Beatty and Cory Newman. Owens joined the party with his second plate appearance of the inning when he singled to center and brought home Toothman and Hines.

Just two innings later, the Green and White tacked on three more runs with a single by Berg that scored Owens. Beatty got involved once again scoring Berg before Newman was retired via the sacrifice fly as Jake McGlumphy came home.

PSU-Beaver would score their two runs of the day in the top of the fifth inning before a Hines single in the bottom half of the inning gave the Bison another insurance run to coast to a 15-2 win.

Bethany used seven pitchers to get the job done in the second half of the doubleheader as Coach Thomas went deep into his bullpen. Kyle D'Angela, Mike Perez, and Logan Mayhle each recorded a strikeout with D'Angela and Mayhle fanning a pair.

With the Bison now riding an eight-game win streak, they continue their best start to a season in Coach Thomas era of Bethany baseball. They return to the diamond on Monday, Mar. 20 at Pitt-Greensburg with a first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.