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Reading, Pa. (Apr. 17, 2009) - Alvernia University, which entered Friday's game with a 2-8 home record, had a pre-game ribbon-cutting ceremony that included a blessing of the fields and the Crusaders (18-14, 5-5) responded with a 15-0 win over DeSales University (18-12, 7-5) in Freedom Conference baseball action.

Junior starter Shane Zellers (Wiconisco, Pa./Williams Valley), the conference pitcher of the week, threw his second straight complete game this time knocking off a Bulldog team that took a dramatic walk-off win from the Crusaders on Thursday.

Alvernia got a pair of pinch-hit home runs in the game, a grand slam from Chris Simoncini (East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs) in the sixth inning and a two-run shot from Charles Krickhling (Chesterfield, N.J./Northern Burlington) in the seventh.

Five different players collected at least two hits for the Crusaders who pounded out 17 on the day including Tyler Runkle (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) in the nine-hole who had one of two triples on the day for the hosts. Junior catcher Steve Bealer (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) and freshman Eric Domitrovits (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) scored three runs each.

The Crusaders appeared set to suffer a recurring illness that bugged them for much of the first month of the season as they loaded the bases in the second but failed to score. Chris Stoudt (West Lawn, Pa./Governor Mifflin) was thrown out trying to score on a wild pitch, and Mike Latona (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) was forced out on a grounder before DeSales starter Chris Brian ended the inning getting a ground ball to first.

Zellers, who walked four over the first three innings, helped his own cause picking off a pair of runners in the early going, and worked around a one out walk in the third.

The Alvernia offense came through in the clutch delivering a pair of run-scoring, two-out hits in the third. Latona brought in the first with a double and Steve DeBarberie (Drexel Hill, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) followed with a two-run single.

Runkle scored after his triple in the fourth and Tim Ahlquist (Millville, N.J./Millville) tripled and scored in the fifth putting Alvernia up 5-0.

Latona chased home two more with a double in the sixth and Simoncini and Krichling ended the scoring with blasts in the sevevnth and eighth.

Zellers finished with four strikeouts, six walks, and gave up six hits. He also benefitted from three double plays turned by the defense.

Alvernia will hit the road for a doubleheader Saturday at Eastern.

Alvernia 15, DeSales 0