BASEBALL
ERIE – Two Penn State Behrend pitchers from Clearfield received special honors within the last week.
Sophomore Mike Moyer was named to the All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Third Team after ranking among the top hurlers most of the season and posting a 3-2 record.
Freshman Chad Zurat was cited as Rookie of the Year when Penn State Behrend announced its team awards. He also logged three wins in five decisions and filled the important role as closer with four saves.
Both right-handers ended the season with appearances at the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Division III South Championships Sunday at Neumann’s Bruder Field in Aston.
Zurat earned the save that gave him a share of the top spot in the AMCC as Penn State Behrend, seeded second, ousted AMCC rival LaRoche 7-5 to advance to the title game.
He was summoned to protect a 6-5 lead with two Redhawks on and two outs in the top of the eighth inning.
Zurat, whose two losses were to LaRoche in relief, got out of the jam with a strikeout and, after the Lions added an insurance run, breezed through the ninth, inducing a groundout and two flyouts.
Moyer, a starter most of the year, was called on for his fourth relief outing with the Lions trailing Grove City 2-1 in the eighth inning of the championship game.
He gave up two hits and one earned run in two innings, striking out one and walking two, one intentionally.
The Lions, held to four hits, were unable to mount a comeback and lost 3-1.
Kyle Kline
of Clearfield started at first base in the final game of his career. Five putouts and one assist boosted his total chances to 99, the most of any player in the AMCC who did not commit an error.Kline, one of eight seniors, is a member of the winningest class in program history. The Lions have been victorious in 124 games the last four years.
They finished with a 28-13 record in helping Penn State Behrend earn the AMCC Presidents’ Cup for the 10th time in 11 years. Cup points are based on regular season order of finish for five team sports and conference championships finish in four individual sports. Penn State Behrend totaled 105 points. Penn State Altoona was second with 90.
Kline played in 20 games, starting 11, this spring for career totals of 61 games with 28 starts. He had 25 career hits, including nine doubles, and a .223 batting average. He drove in 22 runs and scored 20.
Moyer, who was 4-2 with a 4.82 earned run average as a freshman, saw his ERA rise to 4.28 this month after missing three weeks because of a knee injury he sustained while helping to position the tarp on a rainy, windy April day at the Penn State Behrend Field.
He still wound up third on the team in starts with eight, innings pitched with 54-2/3 and strikeouts with 36.
Moyer, who worked two complete games, allowed 51 hits and 29 runs, 26 earned. He walked 15 and hit six batters.
Zurat registered an outstanding strikeout-walk ratio of 33-6 in 22 innings and sported the team’s second-lowest ERA, 2.86. His free passes were the fewest of an Lion who pitched more than 12 innings.
He surrendered only 14 hits and 10 runs, seven earned.
Zurat, who started one game, and Moyer tied for ninth in the AMCC with 12 appearances. Zurat was tied for fifth in relief appearances with 11.
Among pitchers who met the minimum of one inning per game, Moyer ranked fifth in opponents batting average (.242), seventh in innings pitched, tied for seventh for fewest walks allowed, tied for eighth in hits allowed, ninth in runs allowed, 13th in strikeouts and 14th in ERA.
He was one of five hurlers who did not give up a triple and was tied for fifth in home runs allowed with one.