CRESSON, Pa. -- Baseball returned to Cresson on Tuesday, for the first time in over a year, as the Mount Aloysius Baseball team had their 2021 home opener. They hosted the Penn State Harrisburg Lions in a doubleheader. The Lions were coming off of a season-opening sweep of Susquehanna, on Sunday.

Game 1
- Neither team saw much action of the first few innings. Both squads combined for three total hits over the first four innings, with the only run scoring on a wild pitch with two outs in Harrisburg's half of the second inning. 
- In the top of the fifth, PSH came up with two consecutive, two-out hits, that each scored a run, giving the Lions a 3-0 lead.
- The Mounties used two of their five, game one, hits in the bottom of the sixth inning, to cut the lead to 3-1. Trap Wentling (Greenville, PA, Greenville) doubled and moved up to third on a ground ball. a two-out hit by Brayden Lackey (New Cumberland, PA, Cedar Cliff) scored Wentling from third, to earn the marker.
- In the final half-inning, the Mounties threatened, by putting their first two batters on base, with singles. Unfortunately, the next three batters failed to move the runners or get on, themselves, resulting in a 3-1 victory for the visitors.
- Seth Smith (Mapelton Depot, PA, Mount Union) produced his longest career outing on the mound, in the loss. Going for 6.1 innings, allowing six hits and striking out seven.

Game 2
- The second game started out much like the first, with the first two innings seeing two double plays and four strikeouts combined, to limit the offenses.
- PSH struck first, in the top of the third, thanks to the Mounties having to get four outs in the inning, as their second batter of the frame reached base on a passed ball for strike three. One hit and a hit batter helped to push acrosse the run.
- Mount Aloysius responded, scoring two in the bottom of the third. It started when catcher, Alan Mackey (Altoona, PA, Altoona), struck out and reached on a passed ball. The Mounties were able to load the bases with two consecutive singles by Tyler Suder (Boswell, PA, North Star) and Cody Smith (Loysville, PA, West Perry). Jeremy Iellimo (Arnold, PA, Valley Area) provided a two-run single, with two outs, to give the Mounties a 2-1 lead.
- After a scoreless top-half followed, the Mounties again reached base after a wild pitch on strike three, gave them a base-runner, in Troy Emert (Rockwood, PA, Rockwood). They loaded the bases on two walks, leading to a Lion pitching change. A squeeze bunt by Suder brought home Emert, before the third out occured on the base paths, leaving the Mounties ahead, 3-1.
- In the fifth, both sides scored runs, as PSH took the lead, 4-3, using four hits to score three runs, in the top half of the fifth inning. Mount Aloysius pulled even when Aidan Bell (Woodbridge, VA, Prince William County) pinch-hit and doubled down the left field line, leading to a sacrifice fly by Lackey, who drove in the run. 4-4, after five innings.
- Dylan Coyle (Canonsburg, PA, Canon-McMillan) was brought in, in relief, for Mount Aloysius to begin the sixth. He put up four consecutive scoreless innings to finish off the game.
- Coyle's solid pitching allowed the Mountie offense to explode for 11 runs over the final two at-bats. They scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh, with Emert driving in two runs on a double, and Leonard driving in another. Emert scored the fourth run, courtesy of a balk while he was standing at third base.
- In the eighth, the Mounties scored seven runs, six of which came with two outs in the inning. Suder and Joshua Brown (Manassas, VA, Osbourn Park) both doubled in the inning, driving in runs. Suder also led off the eighth inning with a single. Mount Aloysius was able to score seven runs, while only producing three hits, in the frame.
- Coyle struck out three batters in the Lions' final trip to the plate, to end the game with final score of 15-4.

Highlights
- Rhett Frazier (New Paris, PA, Chestnut Ridge) made his Mountie debut, going 1.1 innings over both games, not giving up a run and picking up a strikeout.
- In game two, six different Mounties each drove in two runs. Lackey produced a team-high, three RBIs, on the day.
- Both Mountie relievers, Coyle and Frazier, did not allow a run. Coyle picked up the game two win, going four scoreless innings.
- Game two was the second time, this season, that the Mounties have scored 15 runs in a game. They beat Mary Baldwin, 15-5, in game one of their doubleheader, back on March 13.

Up Next
Mount Aloysius is scheduled to open AMCC play, on Saturday, when they travel to face Pitt-Bradford (1-1, 0-0 AMCC). The Panthers are coming off a season-opening split, against AMCC-foe, Penn State Altoona, on Monday. The game was played as a non-conference matchup. In 2019, Mount Aloysius traveled to play Pitt-Bradford, earning two victories, 13-3 and 8-7. That was the last time the teams faced each-other. UPB was selected to finish seventh, in the preseason coaches' poll.