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Reading, Pa. (May 9, 2009) - Sophomore starter Chris Stoudt (West Lawn, Pa./Governor Mifflin) turned in an MVP effort going six innings and giving up just two runs on three hits while striking out four and freshman Chuck Krichling (Chesterfield, N.J./Northern Burlington) delivered the game-winner with a two-run single in the seventh leading third-seeded Alvernia University to a 4-3 win over #1 Manhattanville and the Freedom Conference Baseball Championship Saturday afternoon at Angelica Park.

The Crusaders, eight time champions in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, withstood three sacrifice flies from the Valiants and had two, two-run innings to win the Freedom Conference Title in their first year in the conference.

Krichling walked to start the second and Stoudt doubled to put runners at second and third with one out.  Mike Latona (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) poped out for the second out, but sophomore Tim Ahlquist (Millville, N.J./Millville) delivered a clutch two-out single to plate both runners.

Stoudt worked around some trouble in the early going.  He walked a pair and hit another in the first inning, but escaped unharmed with a ground ball to second.  Manhattanville senior Stephen Pinto doubled with a man on first in the second inning, but the relay from left center worked to perfection as the Crusaders cut down Paul Blejec at the plate.

The Valiants finally broke through in the fourth.  A leadoff double and a comebacker put a runner at third with one out and Mike Mooney hit a sacrifice fly to center, the first of three for the Valiants.

Stoudt walked the first two in the fifth inning and the Valiants used a sac bunt to move the runners to second and third with one out.  Kevin Murray hit a fly ball to the track in left that brought the second run in an the Valiants knotted the score at 2-2.

Alvernia immediately had the chance to get the lead back in the bottom of the fifth.  There were two on with one out before a foul pop to first and the bases loaded with two out before a comebacker to Pat Yannucci ended the inning.

Yannucci went five and two-thirds innings giving up two runs on two hits.  He also allowed eight free passes walking four and hitting four more.  He left in the sixth after plunking Alquist with two out.

The Crusaders were only able to turn one of those eight free passes into a run against Yannucci, but brought the first one from reliever John Kain around to score in the bottom of the seventh.

Manhattanville put a runner on third with a three-base error on Alvernia reliever Brian Longo (Uncasville, Conn./Montville) to start the seventh and scored on a Pinto sacrifice fly to take the lead.

Longo got out of the inning with two ground balls and senior Eric Focht (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) took one for the team to start the home seventh.  Eric Domitrovits (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) failed on a pair of sac bunt attempts, but then singled on a slow roller to short to put two on with no one out.  Junior catcher Steve Bealer (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) hit a sacrifice bunt back to the pitcher, and Kain decided to go to third, but wasn't quick enough to get Focht.  Krichling then followed with a two-run single through the drawn-in infield to put the Crusaders up 4-3.

Kain surrendered a sac bunt to Steve DeBarberie (Drexel Hill, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) and the Valiants walked Stoudt to load the bases with one out.  Kain got Chris Simoncini (East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs) on a strikeout and Ahlquist flew out to left.

Andrew Sellers (Pequea, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) relieved Longo with two-on and two-out in the eighth and retired the only batter he faced on a line drive to Focht in center.

Alvernia went in order in the eighth and Ed Thompson (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury) came on to lock down the win.  He retired Blejec on a ground ball to second and Pinto on a ground ball to third.  Joe Gallace singled on a sharply hit ball up the middle that Ahlquist snagged, and Thompson got Murray swinging to start the celebration.

Alvernia will return to the NCAA Regional at a site to be announced on Monday morning.

#3 Alvernia 4, #1 Manhattanville 3