BOX SCORE

Gwynedd Valley, Pa. (April 28, 2010) - For the fifth time since 2002 Alvernia University has recorded 30 wins in a season.  The Crusaders (30-8) turned a game-ending double play with the bases loaded in the ninth to protect a one-run lead in an 11-10 win at Gwynedd-Mercy College (19-13) Wednesday afternoon in non-conference baseball action.

Junior Nole Saylor (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) had two hits including a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh and drove in five runs.

Junior reliever Austin Rohrbach (Maxatawny, Pa./Kutztown) entered an 11-8 game with a runner on and no one out in the ninth.  He hit one batter and walked two others to force in a run.  Then after a force out at the plate and and RBI, infield single, Rohrbach induced the game-ending double play.

Alvernia scored three runs in the first aided by a pair of GMC errors, and took a 7-1 lead with two runs each in the fourth and fifth.  Saylor drove home the last two with a two-out single.

GMC cut the gap to two runs with a four-run fifth and scored three off sophomore reliever Jeremy Hausdorf (Floral Park, N.Y./St. Mary's) in the sixth to take an 8-7 lead, but the Crusaders responded immediately.

After one-out walks to Brian Witkowski (Ewing, N.J./Notre Dame) and Chris Ray (Exton, Pa./West Chester Henderson), Saylor swung the lead back to Alvernia with a three-run homer to left.  Freshman Kevin Bailey (Fallston, Md./Fallston) tacked on an important insurance run with an RBI double later in the inning.

Witkowski, Ray, and Bailey all had three-hit games for the Crusaders who wrap up the regular season hosting Stevenson College for a doubleheader Saturday.

The Commonwealth playoffs start next Thursday at Owl's Field in West Lawn, Pa.  The Crusaders would earn the top seed with one loss by Widener this weekend.  If Widener sweeps the three-game series from Albright, Alvernia would remain the #2 seed.

Alvernia 11, Gwynedd-Mercy 10