Pennsylvania College of Technology's golf team completed a week that included one first-, one second- and one fifth-place invitational finish and will seek a United East Conference championship this weekend, while the college’s baseball and softball teams earned wins that will see them in postseason play in early May.
FLASHBACK
Golf
In their first full season under coach Rob Lytle and coming off what may have been the program’s busiest week ever with three tournaments, the Wildcats put themselves in a good position for Saturday and Sunday’s United East Championship, which they will host at the par 73, 6,781-yard Clinton Country Club course in Mill Hall.
Looking at the past week:
On Monday, they scored a 322 and placed second among seven teams at the Penn State Abington Open.
Will Orwig, of Mifflintown, shot a 7-over-par 78 on the par 72, 6,672-yard Five Ponds Golf Course and finished fourth in a field of 36 to lead the Wildcat individuals, while Gavin Baer, of Bainbridge, was fifth with a 79 and Peyton Mussina, of Montoursville, tied for ninth with an 81 to round out the top 10 finishers.
Penn State Harrisburg took team honors with a 314 and was followed by Penn College; Delaware Valley University and Rosemont College, both with 333; Penn State Abington at 347; Yeshiva University at 354; and Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham at 360.
On Thursday, they had the top two individual finishers and the team totaled 305 to finish first in a nine-team field in the Penn State Altoona Spring Invitational.
Mussina medaled with a one-under-par 71 on the par 72, 7,032-yard Sinking Valley Country Club course to top a field of 50, while Orwig tied for second with an even-par 72. Also for the Wildcats, Gunner Redmond, of Lock Haven, and Trevor Keaton, of Worcester, tied for 16th with 81 each, and Baer tied for 22nd with an 84.
Behind Penn College were Penn State Altoona, 313; Susquehanna University, 322; Mt. Aloysius College, 322; Juniata College, 329; Pitt-Bradford, 331; Lancaster Bible College, 333; Carlow University, 349; and Juniata College B, 372.
On Saturday and Sunday at the Gettysburg College Spring Shootout, Penn College had a two-day 630 total to finish fifth in a 10-team field.
Orwig and Baer each shot 78 in the storm-plagued opening round on the par 72, 6,784-yard Penn National Golf Club Founders Course and were among four players tied for 18th. Also for Penn College, Mussina opened with an 80 and was among four tied for 26th, while Redmond shot an 84, tied for 42nd, and Keaton shot an 85 and was 47th in a 53-player field.
In the second round, Mussina shaved seven strokes his first-round score with a one-over 73 to finish at 153 and tie for 11th. Orwig tallied an 80 Sunday for a 158 total and tied for 22nd, Baer shot an 84 Sunday and tied for 31st with a 162, while Keaton bounced back with a 78 in the final round and Redmond came through with a 79 as both finished in tied for 35th with 163s.
Franklin and Marshall College had rounds of 301-302–603 to finish first and was followed by Swarthmore College, 299-305–604; Gettysburg College A, 305-301–606; McDaniel College, 305-304–609; Penn College, 320-310–630; Wooster College, 314-317–631; Dickinson College, 317-317–634; Gettysburg College B, 314-322–636; SUNY Delhi, 327-327–654; and Susquehanna University, 333-329–662.
“It was a good week. Getting the win at the Altoona tournament was nice and everybody played well. I was happy,” Lytle said.
“The (scheduling) goal was to ramp everything up, including this weekend. I wanted them playing good golf courses, good competition right before the conference championship,” Lytle said.
Earlier this month in its spring season opener, the team finished third of six at the Penn State Division III Challenge. Its fall season included one first- and two second-place finishes with the win coming Sept. 27 in the United East Fall Preview where it shot a 314 and Mussina medaled with a 71.
Following Penn College in the Fall Preview were defending conference champion Rosemont College, 323; Rutgers-Camden, 334; Penn State Harrisburg, 339; Lancaster Bible College, 344; Penn State Abington, 349; and Wilson College, 374.
Joining those seven this weekend will be teams from Penn State Berks and Clarks Summit University.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to play for the conference championship. If you look at our record this year, I like our chances,” the coach said, mentioning Rosemont, Penn State Harrisburg and Rutgers-Camden among the top teams to beat.
“Clinton Country Club is challenging. The conditions have always been great there. It’s going to be long and there are some tight holes. It has unique challenges as far as doglegs, tightness, and holes nine and 18 are par 3s,” Lytle said.
The keys to success, Lytle said, will be to “play their own game. Think around the golf course and play to their strengths. A key will be positioning on the greens, making sure they hit the right spots on the green.”
There is a chance of rain showers in the weather forecast for all three days, including Friday’s practice round, but Lytle noted, “We all have to play in it. It doesn’t really bother our team. We’ve played in rain in multiple tournaments this year. It’s just who can manage the weather better.”
Penn College won the conference championship in 2021 and finished 34th of 37 teams in the NCAA Division III Championships. It placed third in the United East a year ago.
The United East champion will advance to the NCAA Division III Championships May 16-19 at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky.
Baseball
Juniata College used a seven-run second inning to take early command and held on for a 16-12 nonconference win over Penn College on Tuesday. The loss dropped the Wildcats to 16-14.
Tyler Rudolph, of Hemlock, New York, led the Penn College offense with a 3-for-5 day that included a home run, two doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored, while teammate Tristan Current, of Reinholds, also had a homer, double and plated two runs in addition to scoring three times. Starting Wildcats’ pitcher Zac Weaver, of Pottstown, suffered his first loss after four wins after giving up seven runs (one earned) in three innings.
In conference play on Friday against Lancaster Bible College, Penn College dropped the first game of a twin bill, 1-0, before winning the second, 13-6, to go to 12-4 in the UE and 17-15 overall.
The first game was a pitchers’ duel that saw just 11 hits between the two teams – seven by Penn College, but it was two first-inning Lancaster Bible singles and a steal of home that produced the lone run. Wildcat pitcher Justin Porter, of Fairless Hills, went the seven-inning distance and took the loss as his record was leveled at 2-2.
The Wildcats wasted no time scoring in the nightcap, pushing four runs across home plate in the first inning with Shane Price, of Kersey, driving in two with a double. Jake Wagner, of Palmyra, plated two more runs with a double in a three-run fourth and Cameron Dick, of Dillsburg, knocked in another pair with a two-run homer in the eighth. Wagner ended the day 4 for 5 at the plate with three RBIs and Dick was 2 for 4 with three RBIs and three runs scored, while starting pitcher Chance Webb, of Hughesville, went five innings and improved to 5-2.
Penn College took Game 3 of the series against Lancaster Bible on Saturday, 12-3, to go to 13-4 in the UE and 18-15 overall, and in doing so, clinched a postseason playoff berth for their sixth year in a row.
Starting pitcher Ben Bretzman, of Bendersville, went six innings and improved to 4-3. Current had a two-run single in the first inning and a three-run homer in the fifth, while Jacob Carles, of Bernville, had a two-run home run in the eighth (he finished with four RBIs on the day) and Dick added a solo homer, also in the eighth, to close out the scoring.
United East standings through Sunday: Penn State Harrisburg, 17-1; Penn College, 13-4; Penn State Abington, 11-6; Penn State Berks, 8-10; Lancaster Bible College, 9-9; St. Mary’s (Md.) College, 7-10; Wells College, 4-14; Gallaudet University, 1-16.
Softball
The Wildcats saw their eight-game win streak snapped in back-to-back United East losses at Penn State Abington by scores of 3-2 and 5-4 on Tuesday as they went to 11-3 in the conference and 19-7 overall.
In the first game, a walk and back-to-back singles in the bottom of the seventh brought home the winning run for Abington as Wildcats’ pitcher Mackenzie Weaver, of Montoursville, lost for the fourth time this season against 10 wins. Jordan Specht, of Frederick, Maryland, drove in the first Penn College run in the first inning with a double and Maddie Hurst, of Mechanicsburg, plated the second with an RBI single in the third as the went 4 for 4.
Abington built a 5-0 lead through the first two innings against starting pitcher Kyla Benner, of Bethlehem, who dropped to 7-3, before being held to three hits the rest of the game by reliever Johanna Devore, of Montoursville. Specht drove in two runs in the third inning and another with a double in the fifth to account for the bulk of the Wildcats’ offense.
Penn College bounced back on Friday with a doubleheader sweep of Lancaster Bible College by scores of 6-3 and 10-1 to improve to 13-3 in the UE and 21-7 overall, clinching a postseason playoff berth for the seventh straight season.
Weaver improved to 11-4 on the mound in the first game as she went seven innings, allowing five hits, striking out nine and walking one. Madison Shaffer, of Trout Run, had an inside-the-park home run in the second inning for the Wildcats.
A two-run double by Lexi Snyder, of Hegins, highlighted a 10-run first inning in Friday’s second game and helped make a winner of Benner as she improved to 8-3 on the mound.
Right back in doubleheader UE action on Saturday at Gallaudet University, Weaver (12-4) hurled a three-hit shutout, fanning seven, in a 10-0, five-inning first-game win before Gallaudet bounced back in the second contest for a 7-5 victory that put Penn College’s UE record at 14-4 and overall mark at 22-8.
In the opener, Specht doubled in a run in the three-run first inning and plated two more with a homer in the seven-run fourth, while Madison Herriman, of Danville, doubled in two runs in the first frame and Margaret Mangene, of Boalsburg, drove in two with a fourth-inning single.
The Wildcats led 5-2 after the top of the fourth inning in the nightcap, but Gallaudet scored twice in the fourth and three times in the fifth against Penn College starting pitcher Devore (2-1) and reliever Benner to pull out its win. Snyder paced the Wildcats’ offense by going 3 for 3 with two RBIs.
Also, Weaver, a sophomore, was named United East Pitcher of the Week for April 9-16 as she went 2-0 and recorded a save. The highlight was a perfect game tossed against Wells College in which she struck out nine and retired all 15 Express batters. Earlier in the week, Weaver threw a complete-game win against Harrisburg before picking up her save against the Lions in game two. She finished the week allowing three hits and punching out 17 over 15 innings.
United East standings through Sunday: Penn State Berks, 16-2; Penn College, 14-4; Penn State Harrisburg, 13-5; Penn State Abington, 13-5; Gallaudet University, 8-14; Lancaster Bible College, 4-18; Wells College, 0-20.
Men’s lacrosse
At Montclair State in nonconference action on Saturday, the home team grabbed a 9-0 first-quarter lead and led 15-3 at the half en route to a 21-8 victory that dropped Penn College to 9-5 overall.
AJ Dotson, of Wilmington, Delaware, scored three goals and had one assist to pace the Wildcats’ offense, while teammate James Thatcher, of Bala Cynwyd, had four assists. Montclair led in shots on goal, 36-24.
UE standings through Sunday: St. Mary’s (Md.) College, 4-0; Hilbert College, 3-1; SUNY Morrisville, 3-1; Penn College, 1-2; Wells College, 1-3; La Roche University, 0-4.
Men’s/women’s tennis
Penn College dropped tennis matches at Penn State Berks in United East action on Monday, the men falling 7-2 and the women losing 9-0. The Wildcat men went to 1-4 in the conference and 2-6 overall, while the women went to 0-4 UE and 2-7 overall.
Winning their matches were Paul Langbein, of Carnegie, at No. 1 singles, 6-4, 6-4, and Logan Ogden, of South Williamsport, at No. 5 singles, 6-4. 6-2.
On Saturday, Penn College’s teams dropped their United East season-finale matches against Penn State Harrisburg, the men falling 7-2 and the women losing 9-0. The Wildcat men finish 1-5 in the conference and are 2-7 overall and the women finish 0-5 in the UE and are 2-8 overall.
Langbein posted a 4-6, 7-5, 10-4 win at No. 1 singles and Ogden scored a 7-6 (7-4 tiebreaker), 7-6 (7-5 tiebreaker) win at No. 5 singles.
Men’s United East standings through Sunday: St. Mary’s (Md.) College, 6-0; Penn State Harrisburg, 5-1; Lancaster Bible College, 4-2; Penn State Berks, 3-3; Penn State Abington, 2-4; Penn College, 1-5; Clarks Summit University, 0-6.
Women’s United East standings through Sunday: St. Mary’s (Md.) College, 5-0; Penn State Harrisburg, 4-1; Lancaster Bible College, 3-2; Penn State Abington, 2-3; Penn State Berks, 1-4; Penn College, 0-5.
SCHEDULES/RECORDS
Golf
Monday, April 17 — Penn State Abington Open at Five Ponds Golf Course in Warminster, 2 of 7
Thursday, April 20 — Penn State Altoona Spring Invitational at Sinking Valley Country Club, 1 of 9
Saturday-Sunday, April 22-23 — Gettysburg College Spring Shootout at Penn National Golf Club, 5 of 10
Saturday, April 29-Sunday, April 30 — host United East Championship at Clinton Country Club, 8 a.m.
Baseball
Overall: 18-15
UE: 13-4
(Home games at Bowman Field)
Tuesday, April 18 – host Juniata College, L, 16-12
Friday, April 21 – host Lancaster Bible College (UE), L, 1-0; W, 13-6
Saturday, April 22 – host Lancaster Bible College (UE), W, 12-3
Tuesday, April 25 – at Penn State Altoona (2), 1 p.m.
Friday, April 28 – at Penn State Berks (UE), 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 29 – at Penn State Berks (UE, 2), noon
Friday-Sunday, May 5-7 – United East Tournament, TBA
Softball
Overall: 22-8
UE: 14-4
(Home games at Elm Park)
Tuesday, April 18 – at Penn State Abington (UE, 2), L, 3-2; L, 5-4
Friday, April 21 – at Lancaster Bible College (UE, 2), W, 6-3; W, 10-1 (5 innings)
Saturday, April 22 – at Gallaudet University (UE, 2), W, 10-0 (5 innings); L, 7-5 (5 innings, storm)
Tuesday, April 25 – host Penn State Harrisburg (UE, 2), 3 p.m.
Friday, April 28 – host Penn State Abington (UE, 2), 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 29 – host Penn State Berks (UE), 1 p.m.
Friday-Sunday, May 5-7 – United East Tournament, TBA
Men’s lacrosse
Overall: 9-5
UE: 1-2
Saturday, April 22 – at Montclair State University, L, 21-8
Monday, April 24 – host Hilbert College (UE), 4:30 p.m.
Friday, April 28 – host Westminster College, 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 29 – host Wells College (UE), 1 p.m.
Wednesday, May 3 – United East Semifinals, TBA
Saturday, May 6 – United East Championship, TBA
Men’s tennis
Overall: 2-7
Final UE: 1-5
(All home matches at Central PA Tennis Center)
Monday, April 17 – at Penn State Berks (UE), L, 7-2
Saturday, April 22 – host Penn State Harrisburg (UE), L, 7-2
Wednesday, April 26 – host King’s College, 1 p.m.
End of season
Women’s tennis
Overall: 2-8
Final UE: 0-5
(All home matches at Central PA Tennis Center)
Monday, April 17 – at Penn State Berks (UE), L, 9-0
Saturday, April 22 – host Penn State Harrisburg (UE), L, 9-0
Wednesday, April 26 – host King’s College, 1 p.m.
End of season
Archery
Saturday-Sunday, April 22-23 – Eastern Regional Outdoor Championship at Harrisonburg, Va.
Friday-Sunday, May 19-21 – USA Archery Collegiate Target Nationals at Statesboro, Ga.
Esports
(All events at Wildcat Den)
iRacing
Monday, April 17 – CIL Cup Series-Bristol, 22 and 24 of 40
Monday, April 24 – CIL Cup Series-Homestead, Miami, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, April 26 – CIL Short Track Showdown-Five Flags Speedway, 8 p.m.
For more about the United East, visit the conference website .
For additional information, visit the Wildcats Athletics website .
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