BOX SCORE
Reading, PA (March 29, 2006) – Sophomore outfielder Ryan Mark (Pennsburg, PA/Upper Perkiomen) knocked in six runs in a 10-run second inning as Alvernia College cruised past Penn State Berks, 24-0, Wednesday afternoon in non-conference baseball action at Alvernia.
Mark, who finished the day with four hits in seven at-bats and team highs with four runs and six RBI, smacked a grand slam to left field and added a two-run double as Alvernia sent 14 hitters to the plate and scored 10 times on just four hits in the second. Senior outfielder Dan Myers (Mount Joy, PA/Donegal) also cleared the bases in the inning with a 3-run double.
Alvernia scored in every inning but the fifth and totaled 24 runs on 25 hits. Meanwhile, starting pitcher Pete Fernandez (Bogota, NJ/Bogota) held the Lions scoreless through seven innings and limited them to just two hits. PSU loaded the bases in both the first and eighth innings, but left them loaded each time.
Alvernia posted a single run in the bottom of the first inning when Eric Bonds (Lancaster, PA/Penn Manor) reached on a single, stole second and third, and raced home when Steve Burdan’s (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) fly ball to right eluded Lions rightfielder Josh Hoch.
Myers reached on a single to start the second and walks to Nick Albert (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin) and Eric Focht (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus) loaded the bases for Mark, who cleared them with a long drive to left. Two more errors and a walk preceded Myers’ 3-run double, who scored on an Albert single. Focht drew his second walk of the inning and came home with Albert on Mark’s double.
Back-to-back doubles in the third pushed home another run for the Crusaders and three straight hits with two outs, including a 2-run double from Zach Lutz (Mohnton, PA/Governor Mifflin), brought home three more in the fourth.
Chris Raniere (Manalapan, NJ/St. John Vianney) doubled with one out in the fifth, but was stranded.
Seven hits in the sixth and one of PSU’s six errors accounted for five more Alvernia runs. Mark had two at-bats in the same inning for the second time in the sixth going 1-for-2 with a single and a run scored.
The Crusaders tacked on an unearned run in the seventh and scored three times in the eighth to reach 24 runs for the day. This is the third time this year Alvernia has scored 20 or more runs in a game.
Alvernia will return to the conference schedule on Friday when it hosts Gwynedd-Mercy College.
Alvernia 24, PSU-Berks 0
