Baseball Finishes as Runner -Up in PSUAC Championship Tournament

Baseball Finishes as Runner -Up in PSUAC Championship Tournament
May 5, 2025

DuBOIS, Pa. — After finishing conference play in the regular season in the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) undefeated, Penn State DuBois baseball entered the conference championship tournament as the number one seed out of the western division. After a thrilling tournament run, the Nittany Lions came up just short of their championship goal, falling to Penn State Mont Alto in the championship series on May 4 at Showers Field.

As the highest seed out of the western division of the PSUAC, Penn State DuBois received a bye into the double elimination portion of the conference championship tournament. That meant they waited until the afternoon of May 2 to play their first game against Penn State Shenango, who had to win a game earlier in the day to advance to the afternoon matchup with DuBois. In the game, DuBois right-hander Connor Cherry fired a complete-game shutout, and the Nittany Lion offense pounded out 14 hits in a 9-0 rout of Shenango to advance in the winners' bracket of the tournament.

Cherry was dominant from start to finish, striking out eight while allowing just three hits and two walks over seven innings. The Lewistown native faced only 26 batters, throwing 89 pitches, 56 for strikes.

DuBois jumped on Shenango early, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. Grant Lillard got the scoring started with an RBI single, and Isaac Tiracorda followed with a two-run single to make it 3-0. The Lions added to their lead in the second on Kyle Elensky's RBI single and pushed it to 6-0 in the third thanks to run-scoring hits from Braylen Corter and Aaron Miller. DuBois broke it open with a three-run fifth inning, highlighted by RBI from Miller, pinch-hitter Christian Hopp, and Elensky, who led the way offensively, going 4-for-4 with two RBI. Tiracorda was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two driven in, while Miller went 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI, and a stolen base.

Shenango managed just three hits, one each from Troy Bachman, John Perry, and Logan Cypher, and committed the game's lone error. Starting pitcher Nick Osborne took the loss, surrendering three earned runs in one inning of work.

The win over Shenango set up a familiar matchup often seen in the PSUAC championship tournament on the baseball side, Penn State DuBois and Penn State Mont Alto. The two teams faced off once again in the winners' bracket final on May 3. The winner would automatically advance into the championship series and hold the advantage of needing to win a single game only to secure the conference championship.

In the contest, a seven-run explosion in the seventh inning powered DuBois to a 9-4 win over Mont Alto to grab the first spot in the PSUAC conference championship series.

Down 4-2 entering the final frame, DuBois mounted a furious comeback highlighted by clutch hitting and a key balk. The rally began with an RBI single from Miller that brought home Isaac Tiracorda. Pinch hitter Lillard followed with a run-scoring single of his own to tie the game. From there, DuBois poured it on with RBI hits from Colby Bodtorf, Alex Gavlock and Elensky, while also capitalizing on a balk that allowed a run to score and shift momentum fully in their favor.

Jake Sikora sparked the early offense with a two-run homer in the second inning, finishing the game 2-for-4. Tiracorda reached base twice and scored twice, while Elensky also recorded two hits and an RBI. In total, DuBois pounded out 10 hits and committed no errors defensively.

On the mound, Taylor Boland earned the win with five solid innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits while striking out three. Joe Tettis closed out the final 1.1 innings without allowing a run.

Mont Alto answered Sikora's early blast with a four-run sixth inning, including a solo home run from James Sibert and a two-RBI single by Garrett Worth. However, their bullpen couldn't hold the lead in the decisive seventh inning.

With the win Penn State DuBois awaited an elimination game to be played out to determine who they would face in the championship series on May 4. It would end up being the same familiar opponent they just defeated, Penn State Mont Alto. DuBois entered the championship series needing one win to secure the PSUAC championship.

In the first game of the series, despite a four-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning, DuBois couldn't overcome an early offensive onslaught from Mont Alto, falling 12-8 in a high-scoring contest.

Mont Alto jumped ahead with a consistent attack, plating runs in five of the seven innings and racking up 17 hits. Sibert led the charge with a three-run home run in the second inning and finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Cameron Bailey added a three-run blast of his own in the fourth and drove in four total runs. Caiden Smith chipped in with a 3-for-5 day and two RBIs.

DuBois, meanwhile, struggled to slow Mont Alto's bats and committed two errors defensively. Starting pitcher Zach Tiracorda was tagged for eight runs over 3.1 innings, and reliever Josh Ross surrendered four more.

The Nittany Lions showed fight late. After falling behind 12-4, DuBois rallied in the seventh with a balk, a walk, and a towering three-run homer from Sikora, his second of the game. Sikora finished 2-for-2 with four RBIs, two homers, and two walks. Miller also contributed with a two-hit, two-RBI effort.

Elijah White earned the win for Mont Alto, going 6.1 innings while striking out five and walking six. Braden Zeger and Brady Bigler combined to close out the final two outs.

With Mont Alto winning the first game, the second and deciding game was forced to determine who would be the PSUAC champion this season. In game two, DuBois was unable to recover from early defensive miscues and a power surge by Mont Alto, falling 14-4 and securing the PSUAC championship for Mont Alto.

Mont Alto plated runs in four of its six offensive innings, aided by three DuBois errors and two home runs. Smith delivered the game's biggest blow with a grand slam in the second inning, finishing the day 1-for-2 with four RBIs and three runs. Carter Fogal added a two-run homer in the first and later drove in a third run with a single in the fifth.

DuBois opened the scoring in the first on a sacrifice fly from Sikora and added two more in the fourth to briefly close the gap to 6-4. Miller blasted a solo home run, and Isaac Tiracorda drove in a run with a single. Elensky and Tiracorda each tallied three hits to pace the DuBois offense.

But the wheels came off in the fifth and sixth innings as Mont Alto scored eight unanswered runs, taking advantage of a string of errors and wild pitches. Only six of Mont Alto's 14 runs were earned, as the DuBois defense committed three errors in the contest.

Bigler went the distance for Mont Alto, tossing a 126-pitch complete game while scattering 10 hits and striking out three. Zach Witherow took the loss for DuBois, allowing six runs in just 1.2 innings, including both homers.

With the conclusion of the PSUAC championship tournament, Penn State DuBois holds a record of 30-9 overall. The Nittany Lions received an at large bid into the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Small College World Series, to be held in DuBois May 11-16. The team will enter the tournament as the number two seed and will play their first game at Showers Field on Monday, May 12. They will play the winner of a play in game between Penn State Schuylkill and Miami Middletown.

The PSUAC also announced its all-conference awards for the 2025 season. Selections from Penn State DuBois are as follows: