HAMBURG, N.Y. — Hilbert College Baseball closed out the regular‑season home slate on Friday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of Penn State Altoona at FSSJ Field. The Hawks earned a 9–5 victory in the opener before pulling away late in game two for a 10–5 win. With the sweep, the Hawks earned the #2 seed in the AMCC Postseason Tournament next week, the highest AMCC seed in program history.
Before the doubleheader, Hilbert honored seniors
Shane Pray,
Tyler Noel,
Billy LoBello,
Andrew Cole,
Brody Hopkins,
Patrick Evans,
John Watson,
Ronald Mort,
Harley Hoag,
David Alessi,
Alex Ellison,
Andrew Johnson, and
Joey Haynes ahead of their final games on FSSJ Field.
Game One: Hilbert 9 – Penn State–Altoona 5
Hilbert jumped on the scoreboard immediately in the opener, scoring a pair in the bottom of the first inning.
Joey Haynes and
Patrick Evans reached base before
Reed Lesmeister singled to load the bases, and
Shane Pray followed by reaching on an error that allowed two unearned runs to score and give the Hawks a 2–0 lead.
Altoona answered with runs in the second and third innings, including a solo home run, to briefly take a 3–2 advantage.
Hilbert quickly responded in the bottom of the third with its most productive inning of the game.
Chase Porter singled and advanced on a wild pitch, setting the stage for
David Earsing, who delivered a two‑run double to left‑center. Haynes followed with an RBI single to cap a three‑run frame and put the Hawks back in front, 5–3.
Hilbert continued to add on throughout the middle innings. A bases‑loaded walk from Haynes forced in a run in the fourth, and Pray added an RBI double in the fifth. In the sixth, Haynes doubled home another run before pinch runner
Billy LoBello stole third and scored on an error to extend the lead to 9–4.
Gregory Lowry went the distance on the mound, scattering eight hits over seven innings while allowing just two earned runs to earn the win. The reigning AMCC Pitcher of the Week struck out a trio of Lions to earn his fourth conference win of the season.
Haynes led the offense with three hits and three RBI, while Earsing added two hits and drove in two as Hilbert finished with 12 hits in the opener.
Game Two: Hilbert 10 – Penn State–Altoona 5
Hilbert carried its momentum into the nightcap, striking for three runs in the bottom of the first. Haynes singled and Evans was hit by a pitch before Lesmeister singled home the game's first run. Pray followed with a sacrifice fly, and Lesmeister later stole home to give the Hawks a quick 3–0 advantage.
The Hawks tacked on another run in the second when Evans singled through the right side to score
Alex Ellison.
Penn State–Altoona responded with a three‑run third inning to cut the deficit to 4–3, but Hilbert's pitching staff settled in from there.
The game turned decisively in the seventh inning, as the Hawks erupted for six runs. After drawing three walks and loading the bases, Pray was hit by a pitch to force in a run and tie the game.
Harley Hoag followed with an RBI single, and
Chase Porter reached on an error to bring home another run. A sacrifice fly from Ellison and a wild pitch scored additional runs as Hilbert pulled away for good.
Andrew Johnson gave the Hawks a strong start, allowing just one earned run over six innings. Johnson fanned four in the contest, with the first strikeout placing him atop the program's single-season strikeout list.
Tyler Noel picked up the win with a scoreless seventh, and
Alex Rumfola closed the final two innings to earn the save.
Lesmeister and Pray each drove in two runs, while Haynes scored twice and reached base three times as Hilbert closed out the sweep.
HILBERT HIGHLIGHTS
Haynes paced the Hawks across the doubleheader with four hits, five times on base, and four RBI. Lesmeister contributed multiple hits and runs scored in both games, while Lowry's complete‑game effort in the opener anchored a strong showing from the pitching staff.
UP NEXT
The Hawks enter the AMCC postseason tournament as the second seed, earning a first round bye. Hilbert will begin its postseason on Thursday at 4 pm taking on the winner of Wednesday's Pitt-Greensburg vs Pitt-Bradford matchup.
