BOX SCORE | Video Highlights

Boyertown, Pa. (May 2, 2009) - Junior catcher Steve Bealer (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) singled three times in the last three innings and was involved in four runs as third-seeded Alvernia University (25-15) scored seven times after the fourth inning in a 7-3 win over #5 FDU-Florham (21-14-1) in the winners bracket final of the Freedom Conference Baseball Championships at Bear Stadium.

Alvernia will face the winner of Sunday's first game between FDU and #1 Manhattanville in the Championship Round at 1:30 p.m.

Bealer singled up the middle in the sixth and scored when Steve DeBarberie (Drexel Hill, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) smacked a two-run homer to centerfield.  He singled in the eighth to knock in a run and stole second in a first and third situation.  The throw from the catcher bounced off the collision between Bealer and the shortstop allowing another run to score, and Bealer drove in an insurance run with a single in the eighth.

The offense made a winner of junior starter Shane Zellers (Wiconisco, Pa./Williams Valley) who went seven and a third innings giving up three runs on five hits with six strikeouts.  He didn't allow a hit until a leadoff double in the fourth taking the Crusaders no-hit innings to 12 straight following Chuck Nicholas's (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) no-hitter in Alvernia's first game of the day.

FDU opened the scoring when the leadoff double in the fourth was followed by another double and the Crusaders botched the relay to the infield.

Alvernia tied the score when Tyler Runkle (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) drove in DeBarberie with a two-out single in the fifth.  DeBarberie's homer in the sixth put Alvernia up 3-1 and Mike Latona (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) added to it with a run-scoring single to drive in Chris Stoudt (West Lawn, Pa./Governor Mifflin).

Eric Focht (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) and Eric Domitrovits (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) scored in the eighth and Runkle scored on Bealer's final single in the eighth.

Andrew Sellers (Pequea, Pa./Penn Manor) pitched an inning of scoreless relief and Ed Thompson (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) earned his first save getting out of a two-on situation in the ninth with a double play ball to third.

#3 Alvernia 7, #5 FDU-Florham 3