Baseball Falls to Point Park

TARENTUM, Pa - New Kensington baseball dropped a 10-1 decision to Point Park University on Wednesday in their first contest of the regular season. The team now sits at 2-5 on the year.

Wednesday's game went scoreless until the fourth when New Kensington gave up three runs. They answered one inning later when they contributed one run. Point Park went on to score six more runs in the fifth and added one more in the sixth. The Pioneers finished on top 10-1.

Freshman Nick Osborne (Hermitage, Pa. / Hickory) made the start for New Kensington, throwing one scoreless inning and striking out one batter. Remy Monteleone (Mars, Pa. / Mars) entered the game also going one scoreless inning. Evan Clarke (Aston, Pa. / Garnet Valley) took over the mound giving up no runs on one hit and striking out one batter. Alex VanMeter (Fort Myers, Fla. / Dunbar) threw one inning allowing three runs on two hits while giving up a home run and walking one batter. Eric Sonntag (Philadelphia, Pa. / Hatboro-Horsham) entered the game throwing one inning. He was charged with three runs on six hits, giving up one home run and walking one batter. James Auberzinsky (Munhall, Pa. / Steel Valley) finished the game for New Kensington allowing one run on two hits, walking two batters, and striking out one batter.

The men got off to a good start with a strong pitching performance by Osborne. Point Park put the first points on the board with a home run in the bottom of the fourth running across twice. The Pioneers tallied one more run for the inning on a single advancing runners to second and third.

New Kensington responded on a Mario Gomez (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. / Hasbrouck Heights) RBI fly ball to right field which drove in Tallon Auth (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Plum), New Kensington now trailing 3-1. Point Park ran across three times in the bottom of the fifth before a second home run brought in three additional runners extending their lead by six.

In the bottom of the sixth, a Point Park RBI single drove in the final run of the game for Point Park University to finish with the 10-1 win.

"They are a pretty good team," said freshman Nick Osborne. "Usually, big teams like this sit on a fastball. Me, I'm more of an off-speed guy so I try to work some more offspeed pitches and work down on these guys because if you give one up, a team like this will get into one."

New Kensington will host Grove City College in a doubleheader Thursday. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. 

Written by Matt Heavner, PSNK Athletics Communications Intern