Toby Welk and Konnick handshake
Tyler Schueck
2
Staten Island CSIM 2-1
4
Winner Penn State Berks PSBM 1-0
Staten Island CSIM
2-1
2
Final
4
Penn State Berks PSBM
1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Staten Island CSIM 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 5 1
Penn State Berks PSBM 0 0 3 1 0 0 X 4 6 2

W: Comport, Tyler (1-0) L: Tom Musso (0-1) S: Butler, Justin (1)

10
Winner Penn State Berks PSBM 2-0
3
Staten Island CSIM 2-2
Winner
Penn State Berks PSBM
2-0
10
Final
3
Staten Island CSIM
2-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Penn State Berks PSBM 0 0 0 1 2 5 2 10 9 0
Staten Island CSIM 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 2

W: Davis, Jon (1-0) L: Chris Karnbach (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball opens season with sweep, Konnick earns win No. 100

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The Penn State Berks baseball team received strong pitching and put up runs in bunches to pick up a sweep over the College of Staten Island to open up the 2018 season on Sunday afternoon. The Nittany Lions claimed the first game by a 4-2 margin and followed that up with a 10-3 win in the second game. The sweep gave head coach Justin Konnick career wins No. 99 and 100.

In the opener, Berks got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Dalton Hughes drew a walk and Toby Welk followed with a home run over the wall in center field to go up 2-0. Later in the inning, Mason Pennypacker singled and scored on a triple by Damian Mace. The Nittany Lions capped off their scoring in the fifth, when Hughes was walked for the third straight time and eventually came around to score on a single by Welk.

Tyler Comport got the start on the hill and did not disappoint in his season debut. The senior right-hander scattered four hits and allowed two runs (one earned) in six innings of work. He recorded two strikeouts in five of the six innings pitched, including striking out the side in the third inning. Comport finished the contest with 11 strikeouts, marking the second time in his career that he reached double digits in strikeouts.

Justin Butler worked around a leadoff hit in the seventh to register the first save of his career. After Nick Meola doubled to start the inning, Butler got a strikeout, line out and another strikeout to secure the victory.

In the second game, Jon Davis came on in relief and turned in the finest pitching performance of his career. The sophomore right-hander threw a career-high 6 1/3 innings and struck out a personal-best six batters. Davis allowed just two hits and walked one batter, while holding the Dolphins scoreless during his relief appearance.

Staten Island put up three runs in the bottom of the first inning before Davis shut the door on their scoring binge. Berks got a run back in the fourth inning when Dante Salerno and Pennypacker pulled off a double steal on a first and third situation. The Nittany Lions evened up the score at 3-3 in the top of the fifth after Welk again smacked a two-run homer to center field.

In the sixth inning, Berks jumped ahead 8-3 with the help of an RBI single by Cory Fox and bases loaded walks to Comport and Pennypacker. Brandon Griesemer capped off the scoring in the top of the seventh with a pinch hit double that scored Fox and Tyler Kreitz.

Salerno finished the game 2-for-3 with a triple, two stolen bases, and one run scored, while Fox and Welk each added two hits.

For the day, Welk combined to go 4-for-7 with two homers, five RBI, and two runs scored. With the two home runs, Welk became the career leader in home runs at Penn State Berks with 10.

Hughes went 0-for-3 overall, but walked four times and scored three runs throughout the two games.

Konnick, who is already the all-time winningest coach in program history, now has a career record of 100-98-1 in his six years as the head coach. He has guided the Nittany Lions to 20 or more wins in three straight seasons and has led the team to four straight appearances to the NCAA Tournament.

The Nittany Lions continue their trip at the Ripken Experience with a pair of games against Catholic University on Monday, March 5. The second game of the doubleheader will be against the Catholic JV team, records and stats will not count to the overall season total.


 
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