BASEBALL
BRADFORD – After cracking 11 hits and driving in 14 runs in five games last week, Pitt-Bradford right fielder Bart McGary of Curwensville was one of several Allegheny Mountain Athletic Conference hitters nominated for Player of the Week consideration who received “Best of the Rest” recognition.
McGary punctuated the four-day outburst at Pitt-Greensburg Saturday by rapping a single and double for four RBIs in an 18-10 loss and belting two home runs, one a grand slam, and two singles for six RBIs in a 22-14 win.
The Panther senior had three RBIs with a single and two sacrifice flies in a 9-3 victory at Penn State-Behrend Wednesday.
Former Curwensville Area High School teammate Phil Solley of Grampian had a trio of two-hit games and four RBIs, three coming via a single and double in the second game at Pitt-Greensburg.
Freshman pitcher Ben McGary of Curwensville came out of the bullpen three times, working four innings. He allowed seven hits and four runs, three of them earned.
The left-hander is second in the AMCC in relief appearances with nine and tied for second in games finished with six.
Bart McGary tacked 45 points on to his batting average and was tied for 11th in the conference at .431. He is tied for first with three sacrifices flies, fifth with 27 RBIs and tied for seventh with 28 hits.
Solley was 6-for-20 in his five games behind the plate, but his average fell from .400 to .364, tied for 30th in the AMCC. His 18 RBIs are tied for 11th.
Pitt-Bradford (7-11) is 2-4 in the conference.
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SLIPPERY ROCK – A seven-hit week boosted Clearfield Area High School graduate Adam Jury’s batting average 21 points to .262, and the junior shortstop from Bigler also drove in seven runs to take the team lead with 19.
Jury had a single, double and four RBIs in a 10-inning, 10-9 loss to visiting Indiana Friday.
He had pairs of singles in two other games.
The Rock (14-16) lost three of four games to IUP, falling into fifth place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference at 8-8, after dropping a non-conference twinbill at Mansfield.
Jury has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games. He has four doubles and one triple among his 27 hits and has scored 16 times.
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ERIE – Freshman right-hander Michael Moyer of Clearfield gave Penn-State Behrend a solid performance for a victory in his collegiate debut Thursday.
With a non-conference doubleheader sandwiched between Allegheny Mountain Athletic Conference twinbills, Moyer got the starting nod against Fredonia (N.Y.) State in the nightcap and held the visitors to two runs, one earned, through five innings.
He struck out four, walked two and surrendered seven hits.
Junior Kevin Kline of Clearfield started four of the six games at first base but managed only one hit to see his average dip from .381 to .257.
He did drive in three runs, upping his season total to eight. He has nine hits and has scored six runs.
Splits against Pitt-Bradford Wednesday and LaRoche Saturday left the Lions (13-5) fifth in the AMCC at 4-2.
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SOFTBALL
LOCK HAVEN – Junior first baseman Brittany Pataky of Clearfield had four singles and a sacrifice fly, driving in three runs, for Lock Haven in doubleheader sweeps over Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Central Division foe Clarion 4-0 and 8-2 Friday and Kutztown 3-2 and 3-1 Saturday.
The wins extended the Lady Eagles’ success streak at Lawrence Field to 83 games and lifted them over .500 again at 13-12.
Pataky singled twice in the Clarion nightcap for her fourth multi-hit game of the season and has one RBI in six of her last eight games.
She has started 22 of the 24 games she’s played and is second in hits (21) and RBIs (11) and third in batting average (.292).
Lock Haven is 4-4 in the PSAC-Central, good for third place.
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GRANTHAM – Lycoming freshman pitcher Holly Lansberry of Curwensville learned first-hand Thursday why Messiah is the defending NCAA Division III champion.
The host Falcons, ranked No. 5 by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, got to her for 10 hits and seven runs, six earned, in five innings for a 7-0 Commonwealth Conference victory.
Lansberry struck out one and walked two in her seventh loss. She has a team-high four wins.
Lansberry also leads the Warrior staff in appearances (12), starts (11), complete games (5), innings pitched (59.1) and strikeouts (41).
She is tied for the most starts in the conference and ranks fourth in strikeouts, 13th in earned run average (4.02) and 20th in innings pitched.
In addition, Lansberry’s .375 batting average (12-for-32) is second on the team and 15th in the conference among hitters with at least 20 official at-bats.
She has stepped into the batter’s box in 13 of the 19 games she’s played, starting in left field twice and in the designated hitter role in the second game at Messiah when she scored the only run in a 9-1 setback.
Freshman catcher Ashley Demchak of Curwensville pinch-hit in the first game.
She has appeared in 17 games, seven as a starter, with a .296 average. Among her eight hits are two of Lycoming’s three home runs and two doubles. She’s driven in five runs.
The Lady Warriors are 2-4 in conference play and 7-15 overall.
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ALTOONA – Clearfield Area High School graduate Alanna Luzier of Frenchville was 4-for-13 while Jenessa Stiles of Curwensville was 1-for-5 in four Penn State-Altoona losses last week.
The Lady Lions slipped under the .500 level for the first time this season, bowing 6-3 and 14-4 to Saint Vincent Wednesday and 7-3 and 12-4 in five innings at Frostburg (Md.) State Thursday for a 7-8-1 record.
Luzier doubled twice and in the second game against Saint Vincent and had two singles and two stolen bases in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference action the next day to push her average to .245 (12-for-49).
The sophomore second baseman has three doubles, one home run and three runs batted in. She has been successful on all four stolen base attempts.
Stiles is hitting .190 with three RBIs.
Penn State-Altoona is 2-2 in the AMCC.
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MEN’S GYMNASTICS
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A strong performance on the still rings by freshman Scott Rosenthal of Clearfield helped No. 7-ranked Penn State to a surprise third-place finish in the 2010 Big 10 Conference Championships at Ohio State’s St. John Arena Friday.
Rosenthal’s routine was rewarded with a 15.050 score, the fifth highest overall, to key the Nittany Lions’ 59.550 total that matched their season-high set in the Ohio State dual meet at the same venue on Feb. 27.
Penn State’s other scores were a 14.950 by sophomore Miguel Pinada, a 14.800 by senior Norm Shaham and a 14.75 by freshman Matt Chelberg.
No. 3 Illinois (359.700) won its 25th Big 10 title, with No. 4 Michigan (358.150) a close second.
Penn State (347.300) wound up ahead of No. 5 Ohio State (346.950) and No. 6 Minnesota (346.500) as well as No. 9 Iowa (337.800).
Rosenthal was one of six Nittany Lions who qualified for the individual events finals Saturday, but he was unable to repeat his team effort and placed 10th with a 14.250.
Penn State is No. 4 in the latest’s GymInfo still rings team rankings.
Individual rankings show Rosenthal No. 9 with a 14.970 national qualifying average going into the 2010 National Collegiate Championships at West Point, N.Y., April 15-16-17.
Pineda is No. 8 with a 15.000 NQA.
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FOOTBALL
READING – Clearfield Area High School graduate Tanner Kelly of Olanta received the Team Most Valuable Player Award for the 2009 season at the Albright College Football Awards Banquet last month.
In leading the Lions to the first 11-win campaign in school history, the redshirt senior quarterback/punter capped his outstanding four-year career with a season worthy of Middle Atlantic Conference, Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III and D3Football.com East Region Division III Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Kelly topped the MAC in virtually ever passing category, including completions (244), completion percentage (67.97), yards (3,030), touchdowns (21), fewest interceptions (5) and passing efficiency (155.38).
He also led the MAC in total plays (496), yards (3,367) and yards per game (259).
The 6-3, 215-pounder netted 337 yards on the ground, counting 226 yards lost for 42 sacks, and punted 35 times for a 33.4 average. His 69-yarder was the MAC’s longest.
In the final NCAA Division III statistics, Kelly ranked fifth in interception percentage (1.39), eighth in completion percentage, 12th in passing percentage and 15th in passing yards.