Eagles Host Penn St.-Altoona In Final Home Games

By: Laura Chapman
Assistant Sports Information Director
chapmal@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
Photo: Jennifer Jones 

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The 2014 baseball season is drawing to a close and Juniata College will host Penn St.-Altoona in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, on Langdon-Goodale Field for the final home games of the season. The Eagles are coming of a final inning defeat after scoring six runs in the bottom of the ninth before falling to Elizabethtown College 8-7. Juniata faced the Lions of Penn St.-Altoona in a doubleheader last Thursday earning a split.

The Eagles dropped game one against the Lions 7-3 before rebounding for a season-high 11 runs, scoring six in the fifth and five in the seventh, to top Altoona 11-6. The series between Penn St.-Altoona and Juniata began back in 1973 and since that day has proved to be one of the more even matches on the Eagles calendar. Juniata is 20-15 all time against the Lions and took two of three games in 2013 after dropping two of three games in 2012.

Junior centerfielder Cody Krepps (Tyrone, Pa. / Bellwood-Antis) is leading the offense for the Eagles with a .432 batting average and a .461 on base percentage. Senior Joe Sforza (Pittstown, N.J. / Immaculata) is leading the in hits (42), at bats (112), slugging percentage (.607), runs (23), doubles (12), and home runs (4). As a team, Juniata is averaging a .348 on base percentage, nearly 80 points higher than the team batting average. Over 31 games played senior Brad Medellin (Lewisberry, Pa. / Red Land) has totaled 31 hits and is tied for second on the team with sophomore Anthony Lombardo (Altoona, Pa. / Altoona Area) in total doubles at eight.

Senior pitcher Mario DeYulis (Ebensburg, Pa. / Central Cambria) and freshman Eric Grace (Hopewell, Pa. / Northern Bedford) have both earned two wins from the mound this year. Junior Chris Fulton (West Chester, Pa / Unionville High School) and Sforza are top two on the team in innings pitched with 47.1 and 40 respectively. As a staff, Juniata is averaging 6.76 earned runs per game. In the previous two games against the Lions, Juniata surrendered 12 earned runs overall.

The Lions are 12-20 on the year, 6-6 in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference play, and coming off a doubleheader sweep of Medaille College. Altoona will face Pitt-Greensburg this afternoon before traveling to Huntingdon tomorrow afternoon.

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