Box Score BUTLER, Pa. - After all of the outstanding performances that junior righthander
Dan Altavilla has given the Mercyhurst University baseball team this season, his outing on Thursday morning against West Chester may have taken the cake.
In the opening game of the single-elimination Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament, Altavilla gave one of the best performances in, not only Mercyhurst history, but in PSAC and NCAA annals, by striking out a PSAC-record 19 Golden Rams in lifting the Lakers to a 6-0 win and a trip to Friday's PSAC semifinals at Kelly Automotive Park.. Mercyhurst improved to 29-12 on the season and extended its season-long winning streak to eight straight. West Chester concluded its season with a 25-18 overall record.
The Greenock, Pennsylvania native allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out 19 in seven and two-thirds shutout innings to improve to 8-0 on the season. His 19 punchouts broke a 99-year-old PSAC record - established by Shippensburg's Clyde Mellinger, who totaled 18 strikeouts against Kutztown in 1915. The figure was two shy of tying the NCAA Division II record of 21, which was reached five times - last done by Nate Kosoc of Saint Rose against NJIT on April 1, 1999.
Altavilla allowed just two hits, a leadoff single by Mike Raimo to start the contest and a fifth-inning single by Robert Knox with one out. He walked just two, the latter of which ended his afternoon in the eighth after throwing 113 pitches. From the third inning until his removal, Altavilla recorded 15 strikeouts, including a dozen consecutive outs by KO.
Sophomore
Colin McKee pitched a perfect final four outs to slam the door on the Golden Rams, striking out a pair to give the Laker staff 21 strikouts on the morning. The only fly ball out recorded by West Chester came on the final batter of the contest. Four Golden Rams grounded out while one was caught stealing.
Offensively, the Lakers got, what proved to be all Altavilla would need, a run in the bottom of the first inning against West Chester starter Fred Breidenbach. Mercyhurst got its first two runners on base - a bunt single by senior
Anthony Tomasone while redshirt junior
Ryan Siegel was hit by a pitch. With one out, the PSAC West's batting champion, sophomore
Dan Popio, laced a single to left center to drive home Tomasone for the game's first run.
Mercyhurst took a 5-0 lead in the third thanks to three hits and three costly errors by West Chester. Senior
Joe Pantano and sophomore
Hank Morrison had RBIs before sophomore
Stephen Scaccia came up with the biggest blow - a two-run double down the left field line - for the final runs of the inning.
The Lakers added one more run in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double from Popio.
The rest of the day belonged to Altavilla, who lowered his season ERA to 1.19. In 68.1 innings of work, the righthander has allowed just 38 hits while striking out 107 and walking only 23. It was Altavilla's seventh double-digit strikeout game of the season. He previously whiffed 12 against both Clarion and California University of Pennsylvania.
In recent baseball history, Brian Espersen fanned 15 in seven innings of work against Lewis in March of 2007 while Nick Gillung equaled the feat in six innings against Palm Beach Atlantic four years later. Espersen allowed five hits and an earned run with no walks. Gillung surrendered three hits and an earned run while walking four.
Breidenbach suffered the loss, allowing six runs (three earned) on nine hits in five innings. He struck out two as his record dipped to 3-6 on the year. Kyle Weary pitched four hitless innings of relief for the Golden Rams.
Popio and Scaccia each went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs to lead the Lakers at the plate. Tomasone also had a pair of hits in the win.
Mercyhurst advances to the PSAC Semifinals on Friday against the winner of the Slippery Rock-Millersville contest. First pitch of Friday's semifinal game is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. from Kelly Automotive Park.
