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LHU Baseball: Bald Eagles sweep Mansfield

By BILL ALBRIGHT

Express Sports Writer

LOCK HAVEN — After a couple of frustrating losses to West Chester last weekend, the Lock Haven University baseball team was hungry for a couple of wins. As for their hunger, the Bald Eagles welcomed Mansfield University to Watkins Field for a PSAC-East twin bill Saturday afternoon and the Bald Eagles combined outstanding pitching, with solid defense, and timely hitting to post wins of 5-0 and 4-3 over the Mountaineers in sun-splashed playing conditions.

In the first game, it was all about the shutout pitching from Jesse Slinger as the righty went the distance, allowing the Mountaineers just two hits and no runs, walking two and striking out three.

“I was just trying to fill up the (strike) zone and the defense was playing really well behind me,” said Slinger. “They were working their butts off just trying to make plays so this game belongs to them. I was just trying to orchestrate it to give them the chance to make plays. I definitely didn’t have my best stuff today, but when that happens you just have to dig in to see what you are made of. I just tried to attack hitters (by pitching to contact) and let my defense play behind me and they did an outstanding job of that.”

In game two, it was Scott Leitholf’s turn on the bump ,and although not operating with his best stuff, he had what it took to get the win.

“When you get performances like we did today on the mound, along with timely hitting and solid defense, you have a chance to win a lot of ball games,” said Heath “Smoke” Stover. “To be honest about it, I don’t know if Slinger and Leitholf had their best stuff today, but they had enough to keep us close and give us a chance to win the ball games.”

Offensively, the Bald Eagles spread the wealth around as five different players scored a run. Joining in the run parade for LHU were Jimmy Webb, Isaac Porter, John Banes, Colby Hiddemen and Demetrius Haskins. Banes and Liam McArthur each had two hits in the eight-hit attack, with Webb driving in two of LHU’s five runs.

“When we got guys on and executed offensively by moving runners up and over, it improved our chances of scoring,” said Stover. “There are seven different ways of scoring from third base compared to second and we did that today. We did what we needed to do at the right time to score runs.”

In game two, Mansfield held its first lead of the day by scoring two runs in the second on a two-run shot by Grady Mengel after McArthur doubled and scored in the LHU first.

LHU knotted the score at 2-all in their half of the second when Porter doubled to right-center and scored on an RBI single by Hiddemen.

The Mountaineers took a 3-2 lead in the sixth on a solo home run off the bat of Eric Senior, but hold on because the Bald Eagles had one more house call to make in their half of the inning.

In the sixth, Webb led off with a single to center and Joseph was safe on an error by MU pitcher Joseph DePerno.

Joe Zgleszewski moved Webb and Joseph along with a neatly executed sacrifice bunt and that set the stage for Porter to come through his late-game heroics for LHU when the former Central Mountain standout ripped a two-run double to left to put the Bald Eagles up 4-3.

Stover likes the improvement he is seeing from Porter since transferring from St. Bonaventure.

“When he got here, he was probably on a two or three-year hiatus of seeing a lot of live pitching,” said Stover. “Every game you can see him getting more and more comfortable at the plate and of course he came up big for us today.”

Porter agreed with Coach Stover about his settling in and getting more comfortable at the plate.

“This is my first full year of playing ball since I went to college because I red-shirted my freshman year before transferring out my sophomore year,” said Porter. “The first few weekends was sort of jittery for me, but once I was able to settle in a little bit, I was able to see more pitches, come up with a couple of hits and I could feel myself getting more comfortable.”

As for his hitting heroics in the sixth inning of game two, Porter explained his approach.

“I knew Joe (Zgleszewski) was going to be bunting in front of me so I knew what the situation was going to be,” said Porter. “He (Mansfield pitcher DePetro) had been throwing a lot of sliders in warmups. The first pitch he threw me was a slider, but I just waited for one in the inner part of the plate. I got one right where I wanted it and I was able to get it over the third baseman’s head to drive in the two runs.”

With Leitholf departing for reliever Dillon Good in the seventh inning, the 4-3 win was put in the books as Good allowed the Mounties only a harmless single while striking out a pair to end the game.

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