BOX SCORE

Reading, Pa. (Apr. 7, 2009) - Alvernia University (16-11, 3-4) gave up five unearned runs Tuesday afternoon including four in the 10th inning of a 8-5 loss to Misericordia University (15-11, 4-4) in Freedom Conference baseball action at Angelica Park.

Alvernia went up 1-0 on a Chris Simoncini (East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs) home run in the second inning , but the Cougars tied it with a run in the fourth.  The Crusaders retook the lead on an RBI-single off the bat of freshman Mike Latona (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) in the fifth, but Misericordia scored three times in the sixth on three hits and an error.

Alvernia tied the score getting a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth and neither team pushed a run acrossed the plate over the next three innings.  Alvernia senior Eric Focht (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) stimied the Cougars best threat with a diving stab at short stop with two out and the bases loaded in the top of the ninth.

Misericordia started the tenth with a triple, but Jeff Slanovec couldn't score when Reid Martin (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) didn't handle a grounder at third.  Alvernia releiver Ed Thompson (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) continued to strand Slanovec with a strikeout and a pop out to first, and looked to be out of the inning on a grounder to second, but the ball skipped through the legs of Tim Ahlquist (Millville, N.J./Millville) allowing two to score.  The Cougars followed with a two-run single to center totalling four unearned runs for an 8-4 lead.

The Crusaders put the first man on in the bottom of the 10th when Simoncini was hit by a pitch.  Misericordia reliver David Smith got a double play grounder after that, but Alvernia brought the tying run to the plate in Steve Bealer (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) with two out and two on.  Bealer bounded Smith's first offering to short stop and the Cougars evened up their conference record at 4-4.

The two teams are scheduled to meet again on Thursday at Misericordia at noon.

Misericordia 8, Alvernia 5 (10 inn)