Juniata Baseball: Weekend Recap

Juniata Baseball: Weekend Recap

The Eagles went 0-4 in Virginia on Saturday, Feb. 25 and Sunday, Feb. 26, as they dropped games to Baldwin Wallace, Pitt-Bradford and Bridgewater.

BALDWIN WALLACE 14, JUNIATA 1

Drew Harshbarger (Commack, N.Y./Commack) took the hill for Juniata against Baldwin Wallace and let up one run in the second inning. The Eagles answered with a run in the third inning, the only run for JC in the game. Shane Buss (Warrenton, Va./Highland) drew a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the third inning. Devyn Carper (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) grounded out to the pitcher, advancing Buss to second. Chris Schreder (Lititz, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) then knocked in Buss from second with a single.

Harshbarger went back out to the mound for the fourth inning and let up five runs in the inning. Josiah Lynn (Beggs, OK/Classical Conversations Homeschool) came in in relief for the freshman. Lynn also pitched four innings and was charged with 11 hits and seven runs. 

Buss, Carper, Andrew Hay (Willow Street, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) and Schreder each tallied one hit each for Juniata in the 14-1 loss to Baldwin Wallace.

PITT-BRADFORD 22, JUNIATA 8 

In the second game of the day, Juniata dropped a 22-8 decision to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. The Panthers blasted five home runs in the game to stay substantially ahead of the Eagles.

BRIDGEWATER 8, JUNIATA 2

On Sunday, JC faced Bridgewater on its home field. Bridgewater tacked on four runs in the bottom of the first inning off of starter Adam Kipp (Mt.Wolf, Pa./Northeastern). The freshman threw for five innings in his collegiate debut, allowing three hits, including a homer, six runs, two earned.

The Eagles were held scoreless until the top of the fifth when Schreder and Isaac Kline (Everett, Pa./Bedford) hit back-to-back, two-out doubles. Devin McLaughlin (Monmouth Beach, N.J./Shore Regional) singled to center field to keep the bats going, but Kline was thrown out at home on his aggressive attempt to score from second. Juniata then trailed 4-1. 

Bridgewater got two back with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to extend its lead to 6-1.

In the bottom of the sixth, Jerry Hobbs (Scranton, Pa./Old Forge) took the mound to relieve Kipp. Hobbs walked the first batter he faced, but a 6-4-3 double play and a fly out to third ended the inning. 

Juniata tacked on one more run in the top of the seventh, starting with a leadoff double from Carper. He advanced to third on an effective fly out from Schreder. With Carper on third, Kline rocketed another double down the left field line for the RBI.

After Bridgewater knocked in two more in the bottom of the seventh, neither team was able to tack on anymore. Bridgewater took game one 8-2. 

BRIDGEWATER 10, JUNIATA 5

Kline started game two for the Eagles. The sophomore threw 1.2 innings and was charged with six runs on three hits, one of which was out of the park. 

Down 6-0 in second, Caleb Pepperday (Phillipsburg, Pa./Phillipsburg-Osceola) came in to relieve Kline. Pepperday forced a groundout to end the second inning. The junior and the Eagles' defense held Bridgewater scoreless in the third inning with a fielder's choice, a strikeout, followed by a punch out at third from catcher Josh Keszczyk (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown Area) on a steal.

Juniata broke the scoreless streak with McLaughlin's one-out, two-run homer. The Eagles began to take advantage of a hit-by-pitch and a Bridgewater error. However, two strikeouts ended the inning, leaving the bases loaded and the score at 6-2. 

Pepperday came back to the mound for the bottom of the fourth. Bridgewater was able to extend its lead to 8-2 in the inning with two hits and one error. 

To start the top of the fifth, Buss and Cameron Livingston (Blairsville, Pa./Blairsville) drew walks. With Buss and Livingston on first and second, Schreder hit a base hit to shortstop to load the bases. On a wild pitch, Buss scored from third and the other two baserunners advanced. Livingston then scored on a passed ball. As Schreder advanced to third on the passed ball, the Bridgewater catcher committed a throwing error and Schreder scored the third run of the inning.

Down 8-5, Pepperday had a three-up, three-down inning at the top of the fifth. However, the Eagles were unable to knock in any runs, while Bridgewater added on two.

Bridgewater won the game 10-5.