BOX SCORE

Boyertown, Pa. (May 2, 2008) – Top-seeded Alvernia College hit three home runs and got a solid outing from freshman Chris Stoudt (West Lawn, Pa./Governor Mifflin) in a 13-1 win over #4 Misericordia University Friday evening in game two of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Baseball Championships at Bear Stadium.

Alvernia took advantage of two walks to score a pair in the first inning. Tim Carroll (Bensalem, Pa./Conwell Egan) worked a leadoff walk, stole second, and took third on a wild pitch. Freshman Tim Ahlquist (Millville, N.J./Millville) followed with a walk and stole second to set up second and third with no one out. Senior Steve Burdan (Pottstown, Pa./Pottstown) lifted a sacrifice fly to centerfield and Dale Curry (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) followed with one to left.

Carroll dropped down a well positioned bunt with two out and runners at the corners in the second to score senior Corey Berghardt (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) and Eric Focht (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) scored later on a wild pitch.

The Crusader bats really came alive in the home half of the third as they batted around scoring four times on six base hits including a pair of two-run homers from Reid Martin (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) and Focht. Martin's shot, with two out, scored James Geosits (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) who reached on a fielder's choice. Berghardt ripped a single into centerfield and Focht followed with a blast down the leftfield line.

Stoudt found his first bit of real trouble in the fourth inning. He walked the leadoff, but had him erased on a fielder's choice grounder to shortstop. Jamie Philippi (Rome, Pa./Northeast Bradford) singled to put runners at first and second with one out in an 8-0 game, but Stoudt got a strikeout and another grounder to retire the side.

After a quiet home fourth inning Alvernia put four more on the board in the fifth. Berghardt opened the inning with a solo shot to left and Carroll doubled with one out. Ahlquist walked and Burdan singled up the middle to plate Carroll. Curry moved the runners up with a ground ball to first base and Geosits plated both with a double to the fence in right.

Alvernia went up 13-0 in the seventh inning on back-to-back two-out doubles by Chris Baldassare (Westbury, N.Y./Holy Trinity) and Curry, and the Cougars put up a run in the eighth off reliever Steve Smerecki (Collegeville, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy) with a hit batter, a walk, and an RBI single from Philippi.

Alvernia went scoreless in the eighth, just the third scoreless frame for the Crusaders, and Smerecki worked the ninth to close out the win.

Carroll finished the game 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Curry had two hits in four at-bats and Berghardt was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI.

Alvernia will face #2 Gwynedd-Mercy College in the winners' bracket final at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Misericordia and #3 Centenary College will face off in the first elimination game at 11:00 Saturday morning.

#1 Alvernia 13, #4 Misericordia 1