BOX SCORE (Game One)
BOX SCORE (Game Two)
Reading, Pa. (Mar. 31, 2007) – Alvernia College scored five runs in the fifth inning of game-one to earn a comeback 7-5 victory for junior hurler Zach Lutz (Mohnton, PA/Governor Mifflin) over Gwynedd-Mercy, but the Griffins came back with seven runs in a two-inning stretch in game two for a 10-5 win in the nightcap Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania Athletic Conference baseball action at Alvernia.
Alvernia (10-7, 3-3 PAC) took a 1-0 lead in the second inning of the opener when Steve Burdan (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) doubled to lead off the frame and came home on a Steve DeBarberie (Drexel Hill, PA/Monsignor Bonner) grounder. GMC (9-5, 3-3 PAC) tied the game with a single run in the fourth and plated three more runs on four hits in the fifth.
Alvernia sent 10 batters to the plate in the home half of the fifth scoring five times for a 6-4 lead, the big blow a two-run double off the bat of senior Jason Zeigler (Shillington, PA/Governor Mifflin). The Griffins cut the gap to 6-5 with a run in the sixth, but Alvernia pushed the gap back to two when Ryan Mark (Pennsburg, PA/Upper Perkiomen) scored from third on a passed ball while the Griffins were intentionally walking Lutz. Junior closer Andrew Long (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) threw a scoreless seventh against 2-3-4 in the GMC lineup to earn the save.
In game two both teams plated three runs in the first inning and Alvernia took a 5-3 lead with a pair of runs in the third inning. Alvernia starter Shane Zellers (Wiconisco, PA/Williams Valley) got two out in the fifth, but walked the bases loaded at the same time before giving way to junior reliever Billy Moore (Cochranville, PA/Octorara). All three runners came around to score to give the Griffins a 6-5 lead and four more crossed the plate in the sixth as the guests batted around.
Alvernia put a pair of runners on in the fifth, but went in order in the sixth and seventh for the 10-5 final. The Crusaders will travel to College Misericordia on Sunday for a makeup game with the Cougars.
Gm 1 – Alvernia 7, Gwynedd-Mercy 5
Gm 2 – Gwynedd-Mercy 10, Alvernia 5
