BOX SCORE

Ft. Pierce, Fla. (March 10, 2011) - In a game that started at 9:30 a.m., Alvernia University (5-1) waited out the rain for five hours before earning its fifth consecutive win. The first four and a half innings were played before heavy rain forced the game to be suspended until 4:30 p.m. Despite the delay, the Crusaders managed to score 11 runs while giving up three runs on four hits to the Northwestern (MN) College Eagles.

The Crusaders fell behind by a run in the first inning before tying it up in the top of the second inning and extended the lead to four in the top of the third with four runs on two hits and two Northwestern errors. Sophomore DH Kevin Bailey drove in a pair of runs on a single up the middle to give Alvernia a 5-1 lead.

Alvernia added another run in the top of the fifth when sophomore Chris Ray singled through the left side of the infield and later scored on a single through the right side off the bat of senior Reid Martin. The Crusaders pushed the lead to 6-1 before they were forced off the field in the bottom half of the fifth due to heavy rains, eventually leading to the long delay.

When the game resumed, Northwestern had runners on the corners with no outs. Sophomore Michael Orban took to the hill in place of senior Mike Moran, who was on the mound before the delay. Orban gave up a walk and hit a batter forcing in the Eagles second run of the game. Orban quickly rebounded and struck out the next three batters he faced with the bases loaded.

In the top half of the sixth, the Crusaders continued their scoring recording three consecutive singles. Alvernia posted four runs in the inning off of a Dan Myers RBI, an Eagles error, wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly by right fielder Brian Witkowski.

The Eagles scored their final run of the game in the bottom of the sixth after two walks, a hit batter, and a fielder's choice that plated first baseman Brady Erickson. Northwestern recorded two more hits in the last three innings and had a runner thrown out at the plate after a double to left field.

The Crusaders added another run in the top of the seventh after a triple to right center off the bat of left fielder Travis Wrambel, followed by a single up the middle by junior Eric Domitrovits. Every player in the Crusaders line-up reached base safely at least once and scored a run in the 11-3 victory.

The pitching combination of Matt Burger, Moran, and Orban combined for 10 strikeouts with Orban striking out six. Orban (1-0) picked up his first win of the season in his second appearance for the Crusaders.

Alvernia returns to action Friday at 12:30 p.m. in doubleheader action against Ursinus College in Ft. Pierce.

Alvernia 11, Northwestern (MN) 3