BOX SCORE

Chandler, Az. (March 15, 2007) – Junior outfielder Steve Burdan (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) went 3-for-4 at the plate with a run and two RBIs as Alvernia College made it three straight wins over highly ranked opponents with a 5-3 victory over William Paterson Thursday afternoon in non-conference baseball action at the Greater Phoenix Invitational.

            Freshman pitcher Shane Zellers (Wiconisco, PA/Williams Valley) gave up just one run in six innings on six hits and a pair of strikeouts to pick up his first career win.  Billy Moore (Cochranville, PA/Octorara) and Steve Geisel (Schnecksville, PA/Parkland) each threw an inning of scoreless relief and Andrew Long (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) gave up a pair of runs in the ninth.

            Paterson took a 1-0 lead with its only run off Zellers in the fourth, but Alvernia came back to tie the score at 1-1 in the fifth and took the lead with a pair of runs in the sixth.  After a scoreless seventh, Alvernia tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth which Paterson answered with a pair in the ninth.

            Alvernia opened its spring break trip with a win over Rutgers-Camden, the 500th in the career of head coach Yogi Lutz, and dropped two to Brockport State and a third to The College of New Jersey, ranked eighth in the nation.  Alvernia responded with a win back-to-back wins over #9 Wheaton (Mass.) and #3 Montclair St. before Thursday’s win over William Paterson who is also receiving votes in the national poll.

            Alvernia will return home to face College Misericordia in a doubleheader on Monday to start the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference schedule.

Alvernia 5, William Paterson 3