BASEBALL
DUBOIS — Junior right-hander Brandon Orsich (Clearfield) survived one rocky inning to position Penn State DuBois for what turned into an important 12-5 win over Penn State Beaver at Showers Field April 22 in the opener of a key Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference series.
The Lions rolled to an 11-1 victory in the nightcap that clinched the PSUAC West Division title and a first-round bye for the championship playoffs and made it a sweep with a 3-1 squeaker the next day.
Orsich, unbeaten in 10 starts, completed five innings for his seventh win, the most in the PSUAC and tied for fourth in the United State Collegiate Athletic Association.
He gave up four runs, all coming with two outs in the third frame when he issued three walks and allowed three hits. He had four strikeouts.
Orsich’s three complete games are tied for second and 3.29 earned run average is 10th in the PSUAC. Those stats are tied for third and 19th, respectively, in the USCAA.
He has pitched 41 innings with 18 strikeouts, nine walks and four hit batsmen.
Sophomore outfielder Thayne Morgan (Clearfield) had hits in two of the five games the Lions played last week as his batting average slipped to .431, still tops on the team, fifth in the PSUAC and 15th in the USCAA.
He is tied for third in the conference and tied for seventh in the nation with 19 stolen bases in 21 attempts.
He leads the team in runs with 24 and has 31 hits and 11 RBIs.
Sophomore utility man Zane Morgan (Clearfield) saw action behind the plate in three games but was hitless in three at-bats with his average falling to .391, which is third on the team and 10th in the PSUAC.
He is 25-for-64 with five doubles, one triple, one home run and 16 RBIs. He has scored 22 runs.
Freshman first baseman Seth Bumbarger (Clearfield) appeared in two games. He has three hits and one RBI in 13 appearances.
The Lions, who were tied for third in last week’s USCAA national rankings, finished the regular season 24-12 and 13-2 in the PSUAC West Division.
They will host the double-elimination portion of the PSUAC Championships, meeting East Division third seed Penn State Brandywine (20-15, 10-5 PSUAC East) at 12:30 p.m. Sunday after East champ Penn State Wilkes-Barre (13-9, 12-3 PSUAC East) plays West second seed Penn State Mont Alto (25-16, 11-4 PSUAC West) at 10 a.m.
The losers will play at 3 and the winners at 5:30 to set the Monday pairings for the loser’s bracket final at 11 a.m. and the title game at 1:30 p.m., with another game, if needed, slated for 3:30.
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HUNTINGDON — Senior pitcher/first baseman Jon Janocko (Clearfield) was one of four Juniata seniors recognized at Landon-Goodale Field Saturday prior to the Lions’ doubleheader against Moravian and made a pinch-hit appearance in the nightcap.
The visitors won both games, 11-2 and 12-0, and finished off the Landmark Conference series sweep with an 11-6 victory Sunday.
Janocko is 0-1 in seven pitching appearance.
Juniata is 1-14 in the conference and 10-23 overall.
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WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
LORETTO — Senior Sarah Lash (Clearfield) was one of three St. Francis University seniors honored Saturday morning before the start of the Red Flash Open at DeGol Field and then went out and threw the javelin 34.67 meters (113 feet, 9 inches) to place fifth.
The Red Flash were one of seven teams in the annual invitational.
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MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
LORETTO — Pitt-Johnstown sophomore Mason Royer (Clearfield) finished sixth in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 17.12 seconds at the annual St. Francis University Red Flash Open Saturday.