BASEBALL
WAYNESBURG — Senior Chad Zurat (Clearfield) picked up his second win in three decisions as Penn State Behrend (8-4) completed a non-conference sweep of Waynesburg (4-11) with an 8-2 victory Saturday.
The right-hander worked four innings in his third start, giving up six hits and one run, lowering his earned run average to 4.86. He struck out three and walked one.
In four appearances, Zurat has allowed 18 hits and 10 runs, nine earned, in 16.2 innings with 11 strikeouts and four walks.
* * * * *
CLARION — Junior second baseman Derek Danver (Clearfield) raised his average 40 points to .222 with a trio of two-hit games last week.
He drove in two runs, his first of the season, in a 7-3 loss to Coker College (16-9) at Hartsville, S.C., on Monday, March 17.
Two days later, Danver slugged the first triple of his career and also had an RBI single in a 9-4 loss to Francis Marion (13-12) at Florence, S.C.
Clarion (3-9) was 1-5 on its spring trip and then opened Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division play by salvaging one win in doubleheaders against Mercyhurst (11-5) Friday and Saturday in Erie.
Danver chased home what proved to be the deciding run with a third-inning single in Friday’s 2-1 nightcap squeaker. They were shut out in the other three games.
Danver has started every game and is 8-for-36 with a team-high four RBIs.
* * * * *
WINCHESTER, Va. — Freshman pitcher Kurtis Krise (Woodland/Clearfield Area H.S.) played a key role in Penn State Altoona’s 11-10 non-conference win over No. 18-ranked Shenandoah Friday at Bridgeforth Field.
He relieved in the bottom of the fifth with Shenandoah (13-3) ahead 9-6 and held the Hornets to one run, that on a perfectly-executed squeeze play that tied the score 10-10 in the seventh.
A run in the top of the ninth gave Penn State Altoona (5-10) its first win over Shenandoah since 2007.
Krise struck out three and walked one in his three-inning stint.
He‘s pitched 6.2 innings in three appearances, striking out four, walking two and allowing nine hits and five earned runs.
* * * * *
HOUGHTON, N.Y. — Senior right fielder Sam Gardner (Curwensville) had a run-scoring single for Pitt-Bradford (9-4) in a 7-0 non-conference win over Houghton (6-5) at the Kerr-Pegula Complex Saturday.
Gardner is second in RBIs with 10 and tied for second in runs scored with nine for the Panthers.
His .344 average (11-for-32) ranks 16th in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. He’s tied for eighth in RBIs and tied for 12th in slugging average (.500).
* * * * * * * * * *
SOFTBALL
HUNTINGDON — Freshman Heather Picard (Clearfield) was the losing pitcher for Mount Aloysius (5-5) in the 8-6 first game of a non-conference doubleheader split with host Juniata Saturday.
The right-hander gave up 10 hits and seven runs, all earned, in five innings, while striking out three and walking three.
Picard is 2-2 with a 3.85 earned run average in five starts for the Mounties. In 23.2 innings, she has 22 strikeouts and nine walks.
* * * * * * * * * *
WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Freshman Jessica Shomo (Clearfield) earned four points for Clarion by placing fourth in the ‘B’ long jump at the Costal Carolina Shamrock Invitational with a leap of 16 feet, 11½ inches (5.17 meters) at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium Saturday.
She also was 32nd among 45 entries in the triple jump with a 33-6½ (10.22m) effort.
On Friday, Shomo ran 100 meters in 13.18 seconds to place 63rd among 100 sprinters from all three NCAA divisions.
* * * * *
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — St. Francis freshman Rebecca Johnson (Grampian/Curwensville Area H.S.) finished sixth among 19 runners in the 3,000 meters Section 3 heat and 28th overall at the Wake Forest Open Saturday.
Johnson’s time was 11:38.49 on the Kentner Stadium track.
* * * * * * * * * *
WRESTLING
WILLIAMSPORT — Freshman Nolan Barger (Clearfield) was one of two Lycoming wrestlers to earn National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Scholar All-American honors.
To qualify for the award, athletes must have a grade point average (GPA) higher than 3.20 and either win 66 percent of his matches, place in an NCAA qualifying tournament or qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Barger, one of 19 freshmen among the 161 matmen honored, finished his rookie season as the Warriors regular 157-pounder with a 29-12 record for a 70.7 winning percentage.
He was named Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Rookie of the Week three times and won the ECWC title at 157.
Barger rode a 13-match winning streak and d3wrestle.com honorable mention laurels into the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Tournament, where he placed fifth.
