BASEBALL
ALTOONA – Penn State Behrend sophomore Mike Moyer of Clearfield came through with a route-going performance on the Stewart Athletic Field mound in four-hitting Penn State Altoona for a crucial 8-3 win.
The hosts had taken the opener 5-1 and were poised to open a two-game lead in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, but Moyer pitched the Lions into a tie for first place with his eight-strikeout, one-walk effort. He did hit one batter.
The unbeaten right-hander has won three of his four starts for the Lions, who are 6-2 in the AMCC and 13-5 overall.
Moyer’s 1.08 ERA is tops in the conference, and he’s allowed the fewest runs (6) and earned runs (4) and second fewest hits (17). Opponents are batting only .147 against him, a stat that also is No. 1 in the AMCC.
In five appearances, Moyer has 23 strikeouts in 33.1 innings. He’s walked seven batters and hit two.
Senior Kyle Kline of Clearfield got his eighth start at first base in the second game.
In nine games, he has four hits, one a double, for a .200 average and has driven in four runs.
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SLIPPERY ROCK – Senior shortstop Adam Jury of Bigler cracked three hits and drove in six runs to star in Slippery Rock’s 19-1 romp over Gannon at Jack Critchfield Park Sunday afternoon.
The Clearfield Area High School graduate’s bases-loaded triple to right center highlighted The Rock’s five-run outburst in the first inning. He walked to force in a run in the fourth, doubled home a run in the fifth and singled across the finally tally in the sixth.
Jury added a single and a sacrifice fly as The Rock (19-11) completed the sweep with a 5-2 win to solidify its grip on first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division.
SRU, which split with Gannon Saturday, is 8-4 and a game and a half ahead of Mercyhurst.
Jury wore the collar in the 3-0 win and 4-3 loss at Erie.
He is second on The Rock in hits (30), RBIs (26) and slugging average (.376) and fourth in batting average (.275).
One of three players to start every game for the Green and White, Jury leads in official at-bats (109) and is tied for the lead in sacrifice flies (3).
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STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – Sophomore center fielder/pitcher Ben McGary of Curwensville connected for an RBI-double in the first game and a single in the nightcap as Pitt-Bradford (14-9) swept host Franciscan 6-1 and 8-7 Saturday to even its Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference record at 4-4.
He has started 18 games in the outfield and is hitting a season-high .245 with two doubles, one triple and 10 runs batted in. He leads the Panthers and is tied for third in the AMCC in stolen bases with nine in as many attempts.
McGary hasn’t gone to the mound in the last eight games but still is tied for the AMCC lead in saves with three.
He has struck out eight in nine innings, allowing only five hits, two walks and two earned runs for a 2.00 ERA. He has not been involved in any decision.
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SOFTBALL
ELIZABETHTOWN – Sophomore Holly Lansberry of Curwensville logged both decisions in Lycoming’s only action last week.
The Lady Warriors (9-5) split a Commonwealth Conference double-header at Elizabethtown on April 4, losing 6-5 and winning 4-3, before having twinbills with Kings Thursday, Lebanon Valley Saturday and Mount Aloysius Sunday postponed.
Lansberry surrendered five runs in the first two innings of the opener but settled down and registered a six-hitter with six strikeouts and no walks. Only four of Elizabethtown’s runs were earned.
In the second game, Lansberry relieved after Lycoming knotted the score with three runs in the top of the third frame and blanked the hosts for five innings. She allowed only two hits, struck out three and walked one, and was rewarded with her sixth win when the Lady Warriors tallied an unearned run in the fifth.
Lansberry also had one single and scored a run in each game.
She has 14 hits for a .389 average that is third highest for the Lady Warriors and 18th in the conference.
In the circle, she is 6-2, tied for fifth in wins in the conference, with a 2.51 earned run average, 46 strikeouts and 18 walks in 53 innings.
Lycoming leads the conference at 3-1, just ahead of three teams at 4-2.
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BLOOMSBURG – Senior first baseman Brittany Pataky of Clearfield had a tough day in the Hutchinson Field batter’s box Saturday, going hitless in eight at-bats for Lock Haven (20-9) against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Central Division pace-setter Bloomsburg.
The Lady Eagles remained in third place at 6-4 by eking out a 3-2 win before dropping the nightcap 7-3.
Pataky’s average dipped from a team-high .416 to .376, which ranks 20th in the PSAC.
She now is second among the Lady Eagles in average as well as hits (22), runs batted in (22) and slugging (.508).
Pataky has only one error in 269 chances for a .996 fielding average that is fourth highest in the PSAC for players with at least 100 chances.
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MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
PITTSBURGH – Senior John Bowman of Clearfield earned 15 points for Penn State Behrend by placing in three events at the Carnegie Mellon Quad Meet Invitational at Gesling Stadium Saturday.
Bowman’s top effort was a third in the javelin with a season-best throw of 51.48 meters (168 feet, 11 inches).
He took fifth but registered fourth-place points in the hammer throw at 37.88 meters (124′-7″) and was sixth but earned fifth-place points in the discus at 35.06 meters (115′).
Senior Michael Johnson of Clearfield placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles in a season-best 59.37 seconds. He earned fourth-place points.
Johnson also ran the first leg for the ‘B’ 4×400 relay foursome that finished eighth in 3:39.85.
The Lions totaled 186 points, good for second place in the four-team field behind Carnegie Mellon (219).
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WOMEN’S WATER POLO
KENOSHA, Wis. – Senior driver Allison White of Clearfield scored two goals and assisted on another as Grove City (12-12) won four of five Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Conference games in Carthage’s Koenitzer Aquatic Center Friday and Saturday.
The Wolverines, who entered the weekend tied with Carthage for first place and ranked No. 8 in the latest CPWA D-III Poll, opened with a 14-4 victory over Macalester (Minn.) 14-4 before having their 16-game conference winning streak snapped by No. 10 Carthage 10-7.
On Saturday, Grove City defeated Chatham 12-4, Washington & Jefferson 9-4 and Wheaton (Ill.) 12-4 to finish 9-1 and one game behind Carthage, which posted a 10-0 record.
White scored against Carthage and Chatham and got her assist against Macalester.
She has 13 goals and six assists this season.