BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2

Elizabethtown, Pa. (Apr. 21, 2012) - Alvernia University (24-9-1, 13-2) scored nine runs in the second inning of game on on its way to a 10-3 win then scored four in the seventh inning of a 6-4 win in 11 innings in game two as it completed a three-game sweep of Elizabethtown (17-18, 7-8) Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Conference baseball action at Etown.

The Jays had taken a 2-0 lead on game one starter Aaron Benusis (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) through one inning of play, but Alvernia sent 13 batters to the plate in the second and scored nine runs on eight hits and three Etown errors.  Aaron Carmen (Robesonia, Pa./Conrad Weiser) struck the big blow with a bases-clearing triple and five other players had one RBI each in the inning.  The inning started with seven straight batters reaching base.

Benusis went five innings and gave up three runs on three hits with four walks.  He improved to 7-1 with the win.  Carmen and Matt Patterson (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham) had two hits apiece and Richie Ricciardi (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.

Game two featured more baserunners but not quite as many coming around to score.  The Crusaders had runners in each of the first six innings, but couldn't push any across.  Etown had two runners on in the first, third, and fourth against Alvernia starter Steve Price (Barto, Pa./Boyertown), but also failed the score.  It broke through in the fifth.

Price walked a man with one out to load the bases then hit a man, walked another, and gave up a single and the Jays built a 3-0 lead.  Price turned the ball over to Rich Collins (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) who stranded the bases loaded with a fly ball to right and a strikeout.

Once again the Crusaders put runners on against Etown starter Jake Hoffstein in the sixth, but couldn't score.  Collins set down the Jays in order in the bottom of the inning and Hoffstein came out for the seventh to finish what he started.

The innings started with pinch hitter Dan Myers (Mohnton, Pa./Twin Valley) drawing a walk.  Back-to-back ground outs and it looked like Hoffstein would end it, but he walked the next two to load the bases and end his day.  Todd Leister took the ball and walked Chris Ray (Exton, Pa./West Chester Henderson) to force in the first run then gave up a two-run single to Patterson to tie the game.  Riccardi continued the inning with a single to drive in Ray and give the Crusaders a 4-3 lead.

Alvernia went to closer Kevin Becker-Menditto (Frederick, Md./Walkersville) in the bottom of the seventh and after a nine-pitch at bat, gave up a leadoff double to Dillon Tagle.  Matt Reade reached on a bunt single and advanced the pinch runner to third.  The Crusaders traded a goundball double play for the tying run to clear the bases, but the Jays got the potential winning run to third back with back-to-back singles before a comebacker ended the inning.

Alvernia continued the put runners on over the next two innings and had the go-ahead run thrown out at the plate on an infield grounder in the ninth.  Meanwhile Becker-Menditto got some extra work allowing just one baserunner through the eighth, ninth, and 10th.

Kevin Bailey (Fallston, Md./Fallston) singled to open the 11th and Leon Stimpson (Philadelphia, Pa./Malvern Prep) followed with another single.  Brian Witkowski (Ewing, N.J./Notre Dame) moved them up with a bunt and pinch hitter Eric Domitrovits (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) hit a fly ball to left to score Bailey.  Patterson followed with an RBI single to give the Crusaders a 6-4 lead heading into the bottom of the 11th.

Etown put the tying run on first with a pair of one-out singles, but Becker-Menditto closed out his own win with a fly out and a pop out.  In all the closer threw five full innings giving up one run on six hits.  He improved to 5-1 with the win.

Alvernia has one more conference series left--with Widener--and will start the conference playoffs as the top seed May 3 at Owls Field in West Lawn.  Lebanon Valley has also locked down a playoff spot.

Alvernia 10, Elizabethtown 3 (Game One)
Alvernia 6, Elizabethtown 4 (11) (Game Two)