Box Score MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – With the help of strong pitching performances of senior Joshua Longsderff (Columbia) and junior Tyler Cookin (Rippey, Iowa), the Pennsylvania College of Technology baseball team opened its season with back-to-back wins at the Ripken Experience Spring Break Tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Wildcats opened the day with a 20-2 win against Lancaster Bible College and finished with a close 3-1 victory over Sauck Valley Community College.

Against Lancaster Bible, Cooklin pitched five innings notching 11 strikeouts, no earned runs and only two hits, which he gave up in the first. He got run support off the bat with seven runs in the top of the first inning. Senior Cody Buterbaugh (Conestoga) capped off the three-hit inning with an RBI double.

Freshman James Brophy (Minersville) made it an 8-0 game in the fourth with an RBI single. In the sixth, with the game at 9-2, freshman Lorenzo Marefka (Jeanette) put a bomb over the left field wall in his first collegiate at-bat. The Wildcats plated 10 more runs in the game to end with the 18-run advantage.

Junior Zachary Buterbaugh (Conestoga) led the team going 3-4 with three RBI while freshman Zachary Pepperman (Montoursville) was 2-2. As a team, Penn College totaled 15 hits.

Freshman Nicholas Pupo (Lewistown) pitched four innings of relief allowing no runs, with three strikeouts and a hit.

It was a much tighter game against Sauck Valley as the game was scoreless in the first three innings. The Wildcats scored all three of their runs in the fourth with sophomore Michael Scully (Middletown, Del.) scoring on a wild pitch and Zachary Buterbaugh and sophomore Rantz Mahaffey (Linden) each recording an RBI.

Scully ended the game 3-3 while Mahaffey and Zachary Buterbaugh each 1-2.

Longsderff worked hard for six innings on the mount allowing on four hits with 5 strikeouts. Sauck Valley's only run came in the sixth off a Penn College error. Zachary Buterbaugh came in relief in the seventh for the save with a strikeout.

As a team, the Wildcats totaled eight hits in the game.

Next up, Penn College takes on Spoon River Community College and West Virginia Wesleyan on day two of the spring break tournament on Tuesday, Mar. 10.