Jeremiah Younker Crushes a Bomb, But Southern Viginia Takes All Three Games

By: Frank Maira, Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director

LOCATION: Lexington, Va.

Game 1

SCORE: Penn State Mont Alto 8, Southern Virginia 22 (F)

IN BRIEF: In a game that featured two grand slams, Riley Daniels' pair of bombs for the Southern Virginia baseball team was enough to propel it to a 22-8 win over Penn State Mont Alto. The Lions jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first when Jeremiah Younker blasted a three-run homer over the center field wall. Southern Virginia would fight back scoring four over the next three innings. The Knights would bust the game open with back-to-back innings of nine runs, each aided by a Daniels grand slam.

In the bottom of the sixth, Southern Virginia loaded the bases with three singles, setting up the grand slam opportunity for Daniels, who sailed the ball over the wall in left-center. The Knights scored five more runs on four hits and were helped on a Mont Alto error in the field. The Lions would claw back in the top of the seventh scoring three on a Tyler Martin RBI, and a pair of runs scored when Lowell Singer and Jeremiah Younker each reached on fielder's choices. Up 13-6, Southern Virginia poured it on in the bottom of the seventh when the Lions walked or hit six batters in a row, allowing the Knights to score a pair of runs and load the bases one more time for Daniels, who sent the ball over the center field wall once more.

After the bases clearing homer, Southern Virginia had three more hits and two more runs to make it 22-8. The Lions had seven hits in the contest as Justin Duble took the loss on the mound.

Game 2 

SCORE: Penn State Mont Alto 5, Southern Virginia 7 (F)

IN BRIEF: Penn State Mont Alto jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Tyler Martin got the inning started on a double down the left field line and next batter Matt Taylor reached on a throwing error by the Southern Virginia second basemen. Martin scored on an error by the catcher and Lowell Singer produced an RBI ground out in the very next at-bat to give the Lions the lead. PSU Mont Alto padded its advantage an inning later, scoring a run on a Colby Black single. Southern Virginia plated home a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame to make it 3-2.

PSU Mont Alto regained the two-run lead in the top of the third when Cory Chatfield doubled home teammates Jeremiah Younker and Lowell Singer. The Knights tied it up at 5-5 in the bottom of the fourth. Dylan Bryan entered the game to pitch at the beginning of the inning and quickly retired the first two batters before a pair of Lion errors plated three runs. Neither team scored again until the bottom of the fifth when Jeremy Keefer homered to left field that gave Southern Virginia the 7-5 victory.

Game 3

SCORE: Penn State Mont Alto 2, Southern Virginia 11 (F)

IN BRIEF: The Lions were unable to notch their first victory of the season falling to 0-6 overall after dropping an 11-2 decision to Southern Virginia on Saturday. The Knights scored in every inning except the third and kept the Penn State Mont Alto hitters in-check only allowing four hits enroute to victory.

Penn State Mont Alto scored both of its runs in the top of the seventh inning. Tanner Rhoades drew a bases loaded walk to earn his first RBI of the season and Colby Black reached on a fielders choice that scored Landon Richards from third. Lowell Singer (0-2) took the loss on the mound for the Lions giving up five earned runs on 10 hits, while striking out five across five innings of work.

UP NEXT:

Penn State Mont Alto travels to Myrtle Beach S.C. in two weeks where it will spend its Spring Break. The Lions compete in five contests from March 4-6.