SOFTBALL
WILLIAMSPORT – Sophomore right-hander Holly Lansberry of Curwensville was named All-Commonwealth Conference second team pitcher Monday, one day after she helped Lycoming qualify for the playoffs for the first time since joining the league in 2008.
The Lady Warriors came from behind twice to edge Widener 3-2, locking up fourth place, and 4-1 at the Shangraw Athletic Complex to end the regular season 8-6 with an overall record of 14-14.
In the opener, Lansberry was the designated player and, after drawing a one-out walk in the bottom of the seventh inning, scored the tying run with two outs, dashing all the way from first base on a two-out double by Taylor Lesser of Lock Haven (Central Mountain High School). Janelle Poorman of Bellefonte (Bald Eagle Area H.S.) followed with a single for the game-winning hit.
Lansberry had driven in the first Lady Warrior run with a second-inning single.
She pitched the second game, checking the visitors on seven hits, striking out four and walking one to reach double-digits in wins for the second season in a row.
She also had a career-high seven assists, the last on a comebacker that started a game-ending 1-3-2 double play.
Lansberry has won her last four decisions for a 10-6 record, jumping into sixth place in school history with 21 career victories. She ranks seventh in complete games with 25 and already is fourth in strikeouts with 185, including 87 in 103.1 innings this spring.
The head coaches recognized Lansberry in the all-conference voting primarily because of her 6-3 record in 11 appearances with 42 strikeouts in 56 innings.
Factored in were her 10 wins, second to a quartet of starters with 11 apiece, 12 complete games in 15 starts and 103-1/3 innings pitched and 87-41 strikeout-walk totals. She is fourth in the conference in innings pitched and strikeouts and tied for fifth in fewest walks allowed.
Lansberry shared second-team laurels with Val Malizzia (11-2) of Lebanon Valley. Laura Snyder (11-5) of Lebanon Valley was named to the first team.
Lycoming will face one of those two Lebanon Valley aces Friday morning in the first round of the double-elimination Commonwealth Conference Tournament being hosted by Alvernia in Reading.
Lebanon Valley (28-7) and Messiah (31-5) tied for first place with 10-3 records, the former getting the No. 1 seed because of its two wins in their double-header. Arcadia (22-10) finished 8-5 for third place.
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MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Senior John Bowman of Clearfield walked off with silver medals in two throwing events and classmate Michael Johnson of Clearfield claimed a bronze medal for Penn State Behrend at the 2011 Mason-Dixon Conference Outdoor Championships hosted by Christopher Newport University in Pomoco Stadium Friday and Saturday.
Bowman was second in the javelin with a season-best throw of 52.51 meters (172 feet, 3 inches) and in the hammer throw with a toss of 38.59 meters (126-7).
He also earned all-conference honors in the discus, boosting his point total for the meet to 18 with a season-best throw of 36.51 meters (119-5) for fifth place.
Johnson took third in the 400-meter hurdles in 58.33 seconds.
He made the all-conference list in two other events, running the first leg for the Lions’ 4×400 relay team that was fifth in 3:29.47 and tying teammate Ronson Mazany for sixth in the high jump by clearing 1.73 meters (5-8).
Johnson just missed making all-conference in the 110 hurdles, placing seventh in 16.89 seconds in his first try for that event.
Bowman and Johnson helped Penn State Behrend to a program-best second place with 133 points.
Christopher Newport won the eight-team meet with 205 points.
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WOMEN’S WATER POLO
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Senior driver Allison White of Clearfield scored one goal and assisted on another as defending champion Grove City, seeded No. 2 behind Carthage (Wis.), opened the 2011 College Water Polo Association Division III Eastern Championships with a 16-3 rout of No. 7 seed Utica in Macalester College’s Leonard Natatorium Friday morning.
The Wolverines turned back No. 3 seed Wheaton (Ill.) 7-1 in the afternoon semifinals and then defeated No. 4 seed Washington & Jefferson 7-2 on Saturday to reign as champions for the second year.
White had 15 goals and eight assists for the Wolverines, who finished 17-12.
Grove City was runner-up in the CWPA Division III Conference at 9-1, losing only to Carthage.
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BASEBALL
BRADFORD – Sophomore center fielder Ben McGary of Curwensville enjoyed his best week of the season with three multi-hit games for Pitt-Bradford, which remained in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference playoff hunt by sweeping D’Youville (N.Y.) 18-0 and 12-0 Friday before losing 20-16 and 10-0 to Penn State Behrend Saturday.
He had four hits, one a double, and three runs batted in against D’Youville and singled three times against Penn State Behrend.
The 7-for 14 week hiked his average to a season-high .285.
McGary has 22 hits and 15 RBIs for the Panthers, 8-8 in the AMCC and 18-13 overall.
The left-hander hasn’t pitched since March 20 but still is tied for the AMCC lead in saves with three.
Freshman outfielder Sam Gardner of Curwensville played in both D’Youville games, drawing a walk as a pinch-hitter in the second game.
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SLIPPERY ROCK – Clearfield Area High School graduate Adam Jury of Bigler had six hits in 18 at-bats and drove in three runs last week as Slippery Rock (27-17) closed the regular season by splitting a doubleheader with Lock Haven and dropping three of four games against Mercyhurst, ranked No. 23 in NCAA Division II.
The Rock needed one win Saturday to claim the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division title, but Mercyhurst came into Jack Critchfield Park and recorded a 5-4 and 4-1 sweep.
Jury singled twice and doubled in the first game and homered for The Rock’s lone run in the nightcap, raising his average to .285.
The senior shortstop leads Slippery Rock in hits (43) and runs batted in (40) and is tied for the lead in home runs (6). He also is third in slugging (.457) and has the fourth highest batting average.
Jury currently is third in the PSAC in RBIs.
The Rock, at 15-9, wound up second in the division to earn a berth in the PSAC Tournament next week at Johnstown’s Point Stadium.
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ERIE – Freshman closer Chad Zurat of Clearfield was tagged with his second loss for Penn State Behrend when LaRoche scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to pull out a key 5-4 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference win Wednesday in the completion of a game suspended because of rain the previous weekend.
Zurat went to the Behrends Field mound when play resumed with the score tied 2-2 and shut out the Redhawks for two innings before running into trouble with the Lions in front 3-2.
After Zurat hit one batter and walked another with one out, LaRoche’s lone hit of the frame tied the score. A double steal resulted in another run and a wild pitch gave the visitors what proved to be the deciding run, for the Lions got one run back in the bottom of the seventh and had the bases loaded when the final out was recorded.
Sophomore Mike Moyer of Clearfield had worked the first four innings on April 23, giving up four hits, two walks and two earned runs. He struck out two and hit one batter.
Penn State Behrend (21-10) came back to sweep Medaille (N.Y.) 12-3 and 10-6 Wednesday and Pitt-Bradford 20-16 and 10-0 Saturday to tie LaRoche for second place at 13-5. The No. 2 seed, and a bye in the first round of the AMCC Playoffs, went to LaRoche because of its two wins over the Lions.
In AMCC statistics, Moyer (3-1) is first in opposition batting average (.192), tied for first in fewest hits (29) and earned runs (13) allowed, third in earned run average (2.38) and fourth in fewest walks allowed (11).
The right-hander has worked 41-2/3 innings in seven games, six as the starter. He has logged 30 strikeouts.
Zurat (2-2) is tied for sixth in saves with two and tied for seventh in games finished with six.
In eight appearances, he has pitched 12 innings with a 3.75 ERA, giving up eight runs, five earned. He has 20 strikeouts and four walks, only one before his last outing.
