Penn State

Junior attacker Mackenzie Cyr notched her second straight six-point game, and sophomore attacker Maggie McCormick recorded four goals and two assists to lead the seventh-seeded Penn State women's lacrosse team to a 12-9 home victory against No. 8 Massachusetts in the second round of the NCAA tournament Sunday afternoon. The Nittany Lions (14-6), who improved to 9-0 at home and 7-2 when hosting an NCAA tournament game, won consecutive NCAA tournament games for the first time since 1999 and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the second straight year.

Pennsylvania State University geoscientist Terry Engelder spent most of his career toiling in obscurity, studying fracture behavior of rocks known as black shales. Even among geologists, he says, it was kind of a boring topic, and he was often slotted to present his papers on the last day of professional conferences. "Not only was it the last day, but it was in the afternoon of the last day," he said. But then, Engelder and Gary G. Lash, a colleague from New York, discovered natural gas in the Marcellus Shale.

Penn State, seeded eighth, watched a four-goal halftime lead disappear under a barrage of Yale scoring as the Nittany Lions lost, 10-7, in the first round of the NCAA Division I men's lacrosse tournament on Saturday in State College, Pa. Penn State (12-4), playing its first-ever NCAA tournament game, led by 5-1 before Yale (11-4) went on a 9-1 run in the second half. After the Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead, the Nittany Lions reeled off five straight goals, including tallies by Jenkintown's Jack Forster and Downingtown's Shane Sturgis.

Gerald Hodges' football career has been about adapting, persevering, and producing. And now it will be about adjusting - to the NFL. The Penn State linebacker and former all-South Jersey performer from Paulsboro was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round, the 120th player chosen. "It's a blessing when my name was called, and now I get a chance to put a franchise on my helmet," Hodges said by phone. The 6-foot-1, 243-pounder began his college career as a safety but moved to linebacker.

Caroline Bunting and Nina Corcoran each had two goals and two assists, but the visiting Penn women were defeated by Virginia, 12-6, Friday in the first round of the NCAA Division I women's lacrosse tournament at Multi-Sport Field in Washington. Casey Bocklet scored four goals for Virginia, which improved to 10-9 and will face Georgetown in the second round on Sunday. The Quakers ended their season with an 11-6 record. In another first-round game, the Penn State women beat Canisius, 14-13, and advanced to the second round at 1 p.m. Sunday against Massachusetts, which beat Connecticut, 14-10.

Penn State picked up its eighth verbal commitment to the freshman Class of 2014 on Friday when Marcus Allen, a safety from Wise High School in Upper Marlboro, Md., accepted the Nittany Lions' scholarship offer, several recruiting websites reported. With Allen's commitment, the Nittany Lions are now more than halfway to their 2014 scholarship limit of 15 as mandated by last July's NCAA sanctions. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound Allen, who is ranked four stars by Scout and 247 Sports and three stars by Rivals, is the first safety to accept an offer for next year from coach Bill O'Brien.

Penn State will play three night games during the 2013 season, two in Beaver Stadium. Monday, the Nittany Lions announced that their Sept. 14 game against Central Florida will start at 6 p.m. The contest will air on the Big Ten Network. It will be the first evening BTN telecast from Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions will also play in the evening this season against Michigan (Oct. 12, 5 p.m.) and at Ohio State (Oct. 26, 8 p.m.).

With battery mate and close friend Tom Mullin striking out five of the first six batters he faced, Tim Rafter had a sense that something good was in the making. "He's been solid all season," Rafter said. "But today, from the get-go, he had all three of his pitches working for him. The hitters were having a hard time keeping up with him. " Mullin pitched a no-hitter Tuesday, registering 12 strikeouts, and St. Joseph's Prep muffled host Father Judge, 7-0, in a Catholic League Red Division baseball matchup at Ramp Playground in Mayfair.

Coatesville High junior Daquan Worley, a quick-footed running back and defensive back, orally committed Friday morning to play for Penn State. The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder, who helped lead the Red Raiders to the PIAA Class AAAA state championship game last season, is projected to play cornerback for the Nittany Lions. He is the seventh player - and first defensive back - to commit for the Class of 2014. "Deep down, he just really felt like he wanted to be part of the Penn State community," Coatesville head coach Matt Ortega said.

Coatesville junior Daquan Worley, a running back and defensive back, has committed to Penn State. Sports, D1.