Lions

Straight from the “What else is new” department, Penn State was severely disappointed by the selection committee's decision to exclude the Nittany Lions from the 16-team NCAA tournament, which was unveiled late Sunday night. And 12 hours after that news dropped, coach Jeff Tambroni still had questions about his team's omission. “Usually, you finish games, and you can pinpoint a couple reasons why you didn't have success - whether it was faceoffs or groundballs or shooting or defense.

Pat Boyle , a former Calvert Hall football standout who went on to play at Temple, has signed as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Lions . The 6-foot-5 left tackle was part of the winningest four-year class in Temple history. He played in at least seven games each of his four years with the Owls. He helped open holes for running back Bernard Pierce, whom the Ravens drafted in the third round Friday . In high school, Boyle was also an All-Metro track and field selection who ranked among the best in the state in the shot put. His twin brother Sean also plays on the offensive line for Temple.

Samantha O'Connor was perfect times two. She went five innings and struck out nine to register her second perfect game of the softball season as host No.7 Howard won, 10-0, over Mount Hebron on Thursday. Her first perfect game was a 15-0 win over Centennial on March 28. Taylor McGrann hit the go-ahead run to left field in the fifth inning to invoke the 10-run rule. No. 3 Seton Keough 10, Mercy 0: Winner Robi Zimmerman pitched a six-inning one-hitter and Bridget O'Malley hit a leadoff homer in the fourth inning for the host Gators (9-2)

Howard softball coach Chuck Rice couldn't single out any one player or particular aspect of Friday's win at No. 1 Reservoir. Everybody contributed, and everything seemed to be working well. The No. 7 Lions hit the ball hard, got strong pitching from Kensey O'Neill and made defensive plays at key times to stun the previously undefeated Gators, 6-0. Shortstop Jules Natoli was the catalyst at the plate, hitting a run-scoring double and a home run as she drove in four runs and scored twice.

Towson is 13-5 in the all-time series between Colonial Athletic Association foes, but the sides have split the past four meetings. No. 11 Penn State (6-5) followed a three-game winning streak with a three-game losing skid, but the Nittany Lions have won their last two contests. Meanwhile, the Tigers (7-4) had a five-game winning streak end at the hands of No. 3 Massachusetts. With identical 2-1 records in the conference, this game is extremely important for both teams. Here are a few factors that could play a role in the outcome at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson Saturday night.

In the early innings of Wednesday's baseball game between No. 6 Westminster and No. 7 Liberty, the wind was blowing, a cold rain was falling off and on and the temperature sat in the mid 50s. It was a perfectly miserable day for baseball, but when Westminster senior third baseman Eric Deitz came to the plate in the first inning with his teammate Ryan Ruff already on base, all he saw was the baseball leaving the hand of Liberty pitcher Andrew Massey....

The Ravens' 2012 regular-season schedule won't be released until later this month, but the team's preseason slate is now set. They'll face the Detroit Lions and the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium, and play road preseason games against the Atlanta Falcons andSt. Louis Rams. The Ravens open preseason play at Atlanta on Thursday, Aug. 9, and conclude it on Thursday, Aug. 30 in St. Louis. Their preseason home opener against the Lions, which will serve as a homecoming for Detroit coach Jim Schwartz, who is a Mount St. Joseph alum, will take place on Friday, Aug. 17 at 8 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on FOX. Jacksonville will visit M&T Bank Stadium for the third preseason game on Thursday, Aug. 23. Only the Lions' game has a set time as of now because it will be nationally televised.

After losing to No. 14 John Carroll by one goal in overtime of Wednesday's season opener, Maryvale's girls lacrosse players must have felt stuck in a Groundhog Day funk. The No. 12 Lions had suffered three of their past four losses by one goal - two in overtime - and they realized they needed to wake up and stop repeating that outcome or they could pretty quickly fall out of contention in the highly competitive Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference. Friday afternoon, the Lions broke the pattern, turning a tie game with 16 minutes left into a 16-10 win at No. 5 St. Paul's.

Coaches are loathe to give players too much time to enjoy and celebrate successes. Fortunately for Penn State coach Jeff Tambroni, that doesn't appear to be a problem. Despite the previously 14th-ranked Nittany Lions upending then-No. 5 Notre Dame, 4-3, in overtime on Sunday, the team's schedule doesn't lighten up as No. 11 Ohio State, No. 12 Denver and No. 6 Massachusetts will occupy the opposing sideline in the next three contests. “We attempted to attract a few more quality opponents on our schedule this year, and as I look down at the first six games, we played [No. 4]

Even in the throes of the worst scandal in the university's history, fans of the Penn State Nittany Lions are capable of rising up in defense of their school's name. Suzanne Collins, chief of staff for state Sen. Nancy Jacobs, got a taste of the power of organized alumni after she sent out a news release inviting the media to cover a rally in favor of what she called Jacobs' "Penn State bill" providing criminal penalties for people who are required to report information about known or suspected child abuse but who do not. The bill was inspired by the case of former Penn State footbal defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who was charged last year with multiple sex offenses against boys and whose case led to the firing of the late Joe Paterno as Penn State coach.