HAMPTON, Va. – Apprentice opened up a four-game series with Penn State Mont Alto Saturday with a doubleheader sweep, falling in the opener before walking off the day’s finale.

In the first game of the day, Mont Alto jumped out to a 6-0 lead through the top half of the fourth inning before the Builders finally scratched a run across on a Matt Phoebus RBI double. Trailing 7-1 headed to the bottom of the seventh, Apprentice found two more runs off a Hunter Johnson sacrifice fly and a Riggs Ellis RBI groundout, but the Lions got out of the inning to win their season opener.

In the nightcap, the Lions scored a run in the first, but Apprentice (7-2 overall, 2-0 NSAC) answered much quicker, tying the game in the first before taking the lead in the second. The Builders scored a pair off a PSU error in the frame and then followed those up by a Nolan Edwards RBI single in the third and another Johnson sacrifice fly in the fourth to take a 5-1 lead.

Mont Alto (1-1) responded with three in the fifth and five in the sixth to retake the lead at 9-5, but the Builders got two back in the bottom of the sixth off a Riggs Ellis bases-loaded RBI single. Apprentice shut the door in the seventh before plating three in the bottom half, winning the game on a bases loaded walk to finish the day with a split.

The Builders and Lions will finish the four-game set tomorrow with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; Image courtesy Kaitlyn Olson/Apprentice Athletics