BOX SCORE

Reading, Pa. (Apr. 24, 2008) – Juniata College scored four runs in the seventh and two in the eighth to take a 9-8 win over Alvernia College Thursday afternoon in non-conference baseball action at Alvernia.

Juniata (22-9) scored three runs in the first inning on its first of two three-run homers. Alvernia senior Tim Carroll (Bensalem, Pa./Conwell Egan) led off the bottom of the first with a double and took third on a wild pitch. Freshman Chris Stoudt (West Lawn, Pa./Governor Mifflin), who finished with three RBIs, drove in Carroll with a single through the right side, and after a walk to senior catcher Dale Curry (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge), Stoudt came in on a James Geosits (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) double to cut the gap to 3-2.

Stoudt hit a two-run double in the fourth inning and Geosits added a two-run homer as Alvernia (28-10) scored six runs in the frame for an 8-3 lead.

The lead remained five until the seventh when Juniata plated four runs to pull within one. The Eagles put two on with back-to-back, one-out singles before Dan Kauffman smacked his 12th home run of the season, a three-run opposite field shot. Alvernia reliever Austin Rohrbach (Maxatawny, Pa./Kutztown) entered with two on and two out and allowed a run-scoring single, but stranded the game-tying run at third getting a shallow pop fly to right field.

After a scoreless home half of the seventh inning Rohrbach struck out the first batter in the eighth, but allowed a bunt single and a walk before Kauffman ripped a two-run, go-ahead double to right field.

Alvernia put two on with two out in the eighth, but the Crusaders couldn't push across the tying run. The Crusaders will complete the regular season with a doubleheader at Penn State-Harrisburg on Saturday and will be the top seed in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference playoffs May 2-4 in Boyertown, Pa.

Juniata 9, Alvernia 8