The Keuka College baseball team is the co-defending North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) regular-season champions, but the Wolfpack dropped both games of Saturday's NEAC doubleheader to Penn State-Abington in Abington, Pa.

Keuka (4-15, 0-2 NEAC) led 5-0 heading into the bottom of the second of game one, but suffered a 6-5 setback to the Nittany Lions.

In the nightcap, the Wolfpack dropped an 8-6 decision as Abington (7-13, 4-0 NEAC) remained undefeated in conference play.

Senior Jake Burachalk (Binghamton, N.Y./Binghamton) was 4-for-5 with a two-run home run, and freshman Brian Colbert (Dryden, N.Y./Dryden) was 2-for-4 with a two-run double in the opener.

Junior Billy McDermott (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) was 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, senior Jon Borchert (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) was 2-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored, and classmate Dan Smith (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Forks) was 2-for-4 with a run scored in game one.

Senior Cameron Hood (Macedon, N.Y./Palmyra-Macedon) took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings pitched.

Junior Kyle Michaud (Elmira Heights, N.Y./Thomas A. Edison) allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits with two strikeotus over 2 2/3 innings of relief.

The Green and Gold scored two runs in the first. With one out, Burachalk singled to left field and moved to third on Borchert's double down the right field line. Both Burachalk and Borchert came racing home on Colbert's double to center field for a 2-0 lead.

Junior Brett Fenton (Troy, N.Y./Hudson Valley CC) followed with a single, and he gave Keuka runners on second and third with one out on a wild pitch. But Abington starter Matt McDonough used a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning.

Hood struck out two batters during a 1-2-3 first inning, and Keuka tacked on three more runs in the second. Smith laced a double to left center field and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from freshman Alec Bowie (Sparta, N.J./Sparta). McDermott made it 3-0 on an RBI single to center before Burachalk launched a two-run home run over the center field fence for a 5-0 lead.

Abington scored two runs in the third and one in the fourth to claw within 5-3. The Green and Gold had an excellent scoring opportunity in the fifth, when Burachalk led off with a single and Borchert ripped a double to left field. But with runners on second and third with no outs, McDonough used two strikeouts and a fly out to keep Keuka off the scoreboard.

Abington made it a 5-4 ballgame with a run in the sixth, then pushed across two runs on three hits in the eighth inning to seize a 6-5 lead. McDonough retired the Wolfpack in order in the top of the ninth to lift the Nittany Lions to the game one win.

In the nightcap, McDermott and Burachalk each went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, and Borchert drove in two runs, but the Wolfpack couldn't hold onto a 5-4 lead in the fifth and suffered the sweep.

Borchert put Keuka up 1-0 on a first-inning groundout, but Anthony Pletscher answered with a two-run double in the bottom of the inning.

Abington tacked on two more runs in the fourth to take a 4-1 lead into the fifth, but Keuka responded with a four-run outburst.

Sophomore Robert LaRue (Skillman, N.J./Montgomery) led off with a double, and after a single from Bowie the Green and Gold had runners at the corners with one out.

McDermott sent a two-run double to center field, plating both LaRue and Bowie to trim the deficit to 4-3, before Burachalk tied the game on an RBI triple to right field.

Borchert followed with an RBI sacrifice fly to left field to score Burachalk with the go-ahead run, but Abington scored four runs on five hits in the bottom of the inning to lead 8-5.

Keuka had one last chance in the seventh. McDermott led off with a single up the middle and scored on Burachalk's double to left center to trim the deficit to 8-6.

After Borchert walked, Keuka grounded into a double play. Burachalk moved to third on the groundout, but with the tying run at the plate, Diego Melendez got a strikeout to end the game.

The Wolfpack were swept despite managing 22 hits in the two games. Keuka was done in by six errors on the day.

Keuka travels to defending NEAC champion Penn State-Berks for an important NEAC doubleheader at noon Sunday.