MEN’S GYMNASTICS
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Penn State sophomore still rings specialist Scott Rosenthal of Clearfield earned All-Big 10 Conference Second Team honors by placing behind defending champion Brandon Wynn of Ohio State during the individual championships in Huff Hall on the Illinois campus Saturday night.
Rosenthal, who entered the weekend tied for first with Stanford’s Tim Gentry in GymInfo national rankings, earned the highest Nittany Lion finish with a score of 15.850, just under his career high of 15.900.
Wynn, unranked only because he didn’t meet the minimum qualifying standards in the regular season, claimed his second Big 10 title with a 16.100 and moved into the No. 1 spot in GymInfo’s individual rankings with a 15.900 national qualifying average.
Nittany Lions Manuel Pineda (rings) and Warren Yang (floor exercise) medaled by placing third.
Pineda also tied for fourth on the parallel bars, while Parker Raque was fifth in floor exercise and Mackenzie Dow as fifth on the high bar.
In the team competition Friday, fifth-ranked Penn State was second going to the final rotation but slipped to fourth after a season-low 52.100 on the pommel horse.
The Nittany Lions wound up fourth with a 349.000 score to finish behind Illinois (355.550), Michigan (352.750) and Ohio State (350.000). The title was the third in a row and No. 26 for the host Illini.
Rosenthal placed third on the rings with a 15.400.
Wynn posted a 16.150 and Pineda recorded a career-high 15.600.
Penn State solidified its No. 2 team ranking for the rings behind Stanford with a 60.650 as Matt Chelberg placed eighth with a 14.850 and Felix Aronovich tied for ninth with a 14.800.
The Nittany Lions and the other five Big 10 squads will be among the 12 teams whose final national qualifying average warranted bids to the 69th annual NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships April 14-16 at Ohio State.
Rosenthal will enter with a 15.617 NQA that trails only Wynn and Stanford’s Tim Gentry (15.792).
Pineda is No. 4 with a 15.517.
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SOFTBALL
LOCK HAVEN – Senior first baseman Brittany Pataky of Clearfield collected nine hits in six games last week before having a career-high nine-game hitting streak halted Sunday when Lock Haven (19-8) was limited to five hits in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Central Division doubleheader with No. 9-ranked Indiana at Lawrence Field.
Pataky’s batting average soared to a season-high .465 after Monday’s 7-1 and 8-2 sweep of Clarion in the Lady Eagles’ first conference action. She doubled and drove in three runs in the first game and, after being moved from No. 2 to No. 3 in the batting order, rapped three hits, one a double, and a sacrifice fly.
On Tuesday, Pataky extended her hitting streak in 4-0 and 4-3 losses to Bloomsburg, ranked No. 16 in NCAA Division II and the PSAC-Central front-runner. She had one of the Lady Eagles’ two hits in the opener and doubled home a run in the nightcap.
Pataky had three hits, including her first career triple, on Wednesday as the Lady Eagles bounced back to sweep PSAC-Central rival Mansfield 9-8 in eight innings and 5-4. In the second game, Pataky singled across Lock Haven’s first run in the fifth inning and knocked in the winning run with her three-bagger in the sixth.
Against IUP, Pataky wore the collar in four official at bats as the Lady Eagles managed only hit in a 5-0 loss but squeezed out a 2-1 win though being held to four hits in the second game. She did set up the deciding run in the bottom of the sixth with her team-high 10th sacrifice bunt of the season, Alicia Cacciotti delivering a two-out double minutes later to break the tie.
At 5-3, Lock Haven is third in the PSAC-Central behind Bloomsburg (6-0) and IUP (5-1).
Pataky’s was 9-for 26 with four doubles, the triple and seven RBIs for the week.
She leads the Lady Eagles in average (.416), hits (32) and on-base percentage (46.6) and is second in RBIs (22) and slugging percentage (55.8).
She has been charged with only one error in 251 chances for a .996 fielding average.
Pataky entered this week 10th in hitting and second in sacrifice bunts in the PSAC.
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SELINSGROVE – Lycoming sophomore Holly Lansberry of Curwensville suffered her first loss of the season on March 29 when host Susquehanna scored all of its runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning for a 5-0 victory in the first game of a non-conference doubleheader at Sassafras Field.
Through five innings, Lansberry gave up only one hit and did not allow a runner past second base. Then, her second walk, a single and a hit batsman loaded the bases. An infield single, a bases-clearing double and a triple ended her five-game winning streak.
Lansberry struck out three to raise her total to 37 in 42 innings. Her earned run average jumped to 2.50 for seven starts. She has surrendered 42 hits and 23 runs, 15 of them earned.
At the plate, Lansberry sports a .400 average that is 14th in the Commonwealth Conference. She is 12-for-30 with one triple and seven RBIs.
Lycoming, which also lost the nightcap 2-1 to Susquehanna, remained at 8-4 after twinbills against Alvernia Saturday and Wilkes Sunday were postponed. The Lady Warriors ended the week atop the conference at 2-0.
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BASEBALL
ERIE – Sophomore Mike Moyer turned in another stellar performance but didn’t figure in the decision that went to freshman Chad Zurat as the Clearfield Area High School grads teamed up for the second time in a Penn State Behrend (12-4) win last Wednesday.
Moyer retired the first 16 Hilbert batters and carried a two-hit shutout into the ninth inning, when he was lifted after issuing two walks, one intentional, around a groundout.
Zurat relieved and rang up a strikeout before an error on a grounder gave the visitors the first run of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference game at Behrend Fields.
He got the next batter on a comebacker and wound up with his second win when the Lions rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Moyer struck out three and walked three in his third start.
The right-hander, who has logged 26.1 innings, leads the AMCC in earned run average (0.68), fewest runs (3), and earned runs (2) allowed and opposing batting average (.146). He’s also tied for fewest doubles (2) surrendered and is one of several pitchers who have not given up a triple or a home run. He’s second in fewest hits (13) allowed.
Zurat has given up one unearned run in his four appearances, but he doesn’t qualify for AMCC stats because he’s only pitched five innings. He has struck out seven and allowed only one hit. He has not walked a batter.
First baseman Kyle Kline of Clearfield had a run-scoring single and scored two runs in the Lions’ 15-2 second-game rout. He picked up a second RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
He got his eighth start but had only one trip to the plate Sunday when the Lions split a twinbill with Mount Aloysius, winning 6-0 after losing 4-2.
Kline has four hits and a .222 average with four RBIs in nine games.
A 5-1 record has Penn State Behrend among the early leaders in the AMCC. Penn State Altoona is 4-0 and LaRoche is 2-0.
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SLIPPERY ROCK – Senior shortstop Adam Jury of Bigler (Clearfield Area H.S.) belted his second home run among his three hits in Slippery Rock’s four weekend games with Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division rival Clarion.
His two-run homer in the third inning provided the final runs in The Rock’s 12-2 win Friday at Jack Critchfield Park after the Green and White had fallen 9-1 in the opener.
On Sunday at Clarion, Jury doubled in the 4-2 first-game loss and plated a run with a sacrifice in the 7-0 nightcap victory.
The Rock (16-10) leads the PSAC-West at 5-3, a half-game ahead of Mercyhurst (5-4).
Jury is tied for second on the team with 26 hits and fourth in hitting with a .271 average. He’s second in RBIs with 19.
His 64 assists lead The Rock, and he has participated in 16 double plays, the second highest total in the PSAC.
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BRADFORD – Sophomore center fielder Ben McGary of Curwensville raised his batting average to a season-high .234 with four hits, including his first career double, as Pitt-Bradford (12-9) split a pair of Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference doubleheaders last week.
Two of his hits came in a nine-inning 7-6 loss to Medaille (N.Y.) after the Panthers had won the opener 6-0 Wednesday. One was a run-scoring double.
On Sunday, Pitt-Bradford beat Pitt-Greensburg 9-4 before dropping a 7-2 decision for a 2-4 AMCC record.
In 17 starts in the outfield, McGary has 11 hits and nine runs batted in.
He also has pitched in five games, working nine innings with a 2.00 earned run average.
His three saves still are tops in the AMCC.
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MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
WASHINGTON – Senior John Bowman of Clearfield helped Penn State Behrend claim first place at the Washington & Jefferson Invitational by winning the javelin event at Cameron Stadium Saturday.
Bowman bested 34 rivals with a throw of 49.42 meters (162 feet, 2inches).
He also earned points by placing seventh in the hammer throw with a heave of 40.12 meters (131′-7″).
The Lions accumulated 103 points to outdistance 18 other teams.
Bowman wound up 24th in the discus with a throw of 32 meters (105′).
Senior Michael Johnson of Clearfield placed 13th in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:00.37 and ran the first split for the Lion ‘B’ 4×400 relay team that finished seventh in 3:34.45.
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WOMEN’S WATER POLO
GROVE CITY – Senior Allison White of Clearfield scored two goals and assisted on two others as Grove City defeated Notre Dame (Ohio) 12-5 in James E. Longenecker Pool Friday night.
The Wolverines fell to 8-11 with losses to NCAA Division II opponents Gannon 14-6 and Mercyhurst 9-4 Saturday.
Grove City still is tied atop the Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Conference with Carthage at 5-0.