BOX SCORE

Reading, Pa. (May 17, 2008) – Senior catcher Dale Curry (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) scored on the game-tying run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth and when the throw to the plate caromed out of play, sophomore outfielder Steve DeBarberie (Drexel Hill, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) followed with the game-winning run as top-seeded Alvernia College (33-12) earned its second Eastern College Athletic Conference South Region Baseball Championship Title with a 6-5 win over #3 Delaware Valley (25-18) Saturday afternoon at Alvernia.

Alvernia senior Andrew Long (Pottstown, Pa./Pottstown) threw an inning of relief and picked up the win and was named the Tournament MVP getting a save in the Crusaders' opener to go with the win in the final.

DVC took a 5-4 lead with a run in the top of the ninth inning. Senior Zack Jakubowski (Audubon, N.J./Audubon) walked for the fourth time in the game with one out in the ninth and Mike Isgro (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) moved him to third with a perfectly placed hit-and-run single through the right side. Long then got a ground ball from Kellen Jarrett (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) in the hole at short and the Crusaders nearly turned the inning-ending double play with Jarrett hustling down the line to beat the relay.

Curry drew his second walk of the game to open the ninth against DVC reliever Dan Metague (Southampton, Pa./Cardinal Dougherty) and James Geosits (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) followed with a pop out to short. DeBarberie walked to put two on with one out and the Aggies went to lefty reliever Chris Albaugh (Drexel Hill, Pa./Monsignor Bonner). His first pitch to freshman Reid Martin (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) got passed the catcher allowing Curry to take third and DeBarberie to move into scoring position.

Martin fouled off a pitch and took a curve ball high for a 1-2 count. He lifted the next pitch into shallow center, but Curry came home to force the perfect throw from Jarrett in right. The throw reached the plate a split second before Curry did, but Curry ran through the arm of the Del Val catcher knocking the ball out of play into the Alvernia dugout and DeBarberie scored as his teammates rushed the plate.

Alvernia sophomore Shane Zellers (Wiconisco, Pa./Williams Valley) made his first relief appearance of the season going five and a third innings and holding the Aggies to just one unearned run while striking out six. Geosits racked up three hits for the Crusaders and Martin finished the game with three RBIs.

Alvernia put the first run on the board in the second with DeBarberie doubled and scored on a single by Chris Baldassare (Westbury, N.Y./Holy Trinity). Del Val answered that with three runs in the top of the third for a 3-1 lead. Alvernia starter Chris Stoudt (West Lawn, Pa./Governor Mifflin) walked two of the first three batters in the third as the Aggies scored three times on three hits and an error. Zellers entered with the bases loaded and two out and closed down the inning with his first of six strikeouts.

Alvernia came back with two runs in the home half of the third to knot the score at 3-3. Curry and Geosits both singled with one out and DeBarberie hit a fly ball to right for the second out. Up stepped Martin and he unloaded a two-run triple to the gap in right center to keep the Crusaders in the game.

DVC took the lead back in the fourth scoring an unearned run without the benefit of a hit, but the Crusaders tied it up again at 4-all, where it would remain until the ninth, on a Geosits RBI single with one out.

#1 Alvernia 6, #3 Delaware Valley 5