BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2

Reading, Pa. (Apr. 14, 2012) - Starters Aaron Benusis (Bristol, Pa./Bristol Eastern) and Steve Price (Barto, Pa./Boyertown) dominated their second straight conference doubleheader leading Alvernia University (21-8-1, 10-2) to a sweep of Lebanon Valley College (18-15, 7-8) Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Conference baseball action at Angelica Park.

Benusis made quick work of the Dutchmen in the opener throwing a complete-game, two-hit shutout that lasted just 90 minutes.  Alvernia got a pair of runs with two out in the first and the 6-7 righty made it stand for a 2-0 win.  Price worked quicker in the second holding LVC without a hit into the sixth inning, but the offense extended the game long enought to plate 11 runs in an 11-1 win.

With two weekends left in the conference schedule the postseason is starting to take shape.  The Crusaders have locked up a postseason bid and sit atop the conference with a three-game lead over Elizabethtown College.  The Jays have series left with Alvernia and Messiah.  Widener and Lebanon Valley are tied for third at 7-8, each with a game and a half lead over Messiah and Arcadia which are tied for fifth.  Widener has a conference bye next weekend and face Alvernia on the last weekend of the season while Lebanon Valley has just a three-game set left with last-place Albright.

Both Benusis and Price worked around trouble in the first inning on Saturday and cruised from there.

Benusis allowed a one-out walk and a base hit then got a groundout and a strikeout to end the inning.  He allowed a base hit in the fourth and hit a batter in the fifth, but neither baserunner got past first base.  He retired the batters in order in the sixth and seventh to close out his first complete game of the season.

Price got himself into a bit of trouble in the first inning of game two walking each of the first two batters.  He only threw one ball out of the zone to the next three batters getting a flyout and two groundouts to end the inning.  He retired 16 straight batters until Ryan Schwartz broke up the no-hitter with a one-out double in the sixth, but by that point Price was already working with a 9-0 lead.

The Crusaders plated four runs in the third inning highlighted by Matt Patterson's (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham) two-run, line driver homer to left.  They added five more in the fourth sparked by Aaron Carmen's (Robesonia, Pa./Conrad Weiser) two-run homer.  In consecutive at-bats Brok Martin (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata), Nole Saylor (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown), and Brian Witkowski (Ewing, N.J./Notre Dame) singled, doubled, and tripled then designated hitter Chris Gehris (Sinking Spring, Pa./Holy Name) followed with a sacrifice fly for the third, fourth, and fifth runs of the inning.

Schwartz came around to score the lone run for the Dutchmen on a two-out single, and Richie Riccardi (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) added a two-run single in the sixth for the Crusaders.

Price set the Dutchmen down in order in the seventh for the Crusaders second complete game of the day.

Benusis finished with eight strikeouts and Price added four.  Witkowski and Riccardi had two hits apiece in the opener.  Saylor and Martin had a pair of two-hit games in the nightcap.

Alvernia has a pair of non-conference games this week before hosting Elizabethtown for Armed Forces Day next Friday to kick off a three-game weekend series with the Jays. 

Alvernia 2, Lebanon Valley 0 (Game One)
Alvernia 11, Lebanon Valley 1 (Game Two)