BOX SCORE | REGIONAL WEBSITE

Lakewood, N.J. (May 20, 2011) - Junior Travis Wrambel (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown) and sophomore Brian Witkowski (Ewing, N.J./Notre Dame) each delivered bases-clearning doubles in the eight and ninth innings respectively to lead No. 3 Alvernia University (37-7) to a come-from-behind, 11-4 victory over No. 2 Rowan University (31-12-1) in game eight of the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional hosted by Kean University at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Sophomore Chris Ray (Exton, Pa./Henderson), the Commonwealth Player of the Year, broke a 4-4 tie with a bases loaded walk in the eighth before Wrambel delivered the insurance with a gapper to left.

"We were going to make him throw a strike," said Ray of his RBI walk off reliever Kyle Brown that brought in Reid Martin (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata)--his team approach evident in his use of the inclusive pronoun.  "We got up 2-0 [in the count] and had the take sign on.  I got the timing down just in case he came back with a strike."

Brown came back with called strikes on the 2-0 and 3-1 counts, but missed on the full count pitch to the only batter he faced.  Ray drove in the winning run without a swing.

"Easiest way to get him home," said Ray.

Witkowski grounded a 2-2 pitch off the cutout behind the rightfield bullpen with the bases loaded in the ninth to plate three more and push the Alvernia lead to a comfortable 11-4.

Senior Chuck Nicholas (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) improved to 3-0 in regional starts, but needed some intenstinal fortitude to get there.  Two errors in the first and another in the third allowed the Profs to jump out to a 4-1 lead.  Fifteen days ago in his last start, game one of the Commonwealth Playoffs, the defense kicked it four times in the first two innings allowing the Jays to open a 5-2 lead.

"I just tried to refocus," said Nicholas after Friday's win.  "I got a little more [ticked] off and went back to the three-quarter sleeves and turned it around."

Alvernia had sophomore Cody Smith (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic) warming in the pen when the infield failed to turn a potential inning-ending double play, but the staff stayed with Nicholas after Aaron Carman (Robesonia, Pa./Conrad Weiser) caught a foul pop to end the second.

In all Smith warmed three times, but was never called upon.  Nicholas went back to the bump for six more innings--eight in all--threw 122 pitches and gave up the four runs on five hits with six strikeouts.

Alvernia scored its first run in the first on a bases-loaded walk to Wrambel and failed to tack on as Rowan starter Mike Swietanski got a strikeout and a double play ball to end the treat.

The first inning lasted 22 minutes after the Profs answered with three baserunners of their own.  The inning started with a clean single through the right side then an error and a sacrifice put runners at second and third.  Martin fielded a grounder at short and had a play on the runner from second, but his throw short-hopped Carman at third allowing the second run to score.

Two one-out singles and a hit batter loaded the bases for Rowan in the second and Nicholas got the ground ball that could have ended the inning, but Martin's throw to first short-hopped Eric Domitrovits (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) and a pair of runners scored.

The Crusaders, who had baserunners in every inning but the sixth, pulled within a run with two in the fourth.  Leon Stimpson (Philadelphia, Pa./Malvern Prep) drove in the first with a sacrifice fly and Witkowski delivered a two-out single to plate the second.

Ray was thrown out at the plate as the potential tying run in the fifth, but Martin followed with a run-scoring single to left to plate Wrambel to tie the game at 4-4.

Martin opened the eight with a bunt single that hugged the thirdbase line, and was at third with two out before consecutive walks to Stimpson, Witkowski, and Ray put the Cruaders in front.

Closer Austin Rohrbach (Maxatawny, Pa./Kutztown) worked the ninth in a non-save situation.  Stimpson scored three runs and Witkowski and Martin had three hits apiece.

Alvernia faces No. 4 Misericordia in the winners bracket final scheduled for 6:45 Friday night.

Alvernia 11, Rowan 4