Reading, Pa. (May 1, 2012) - Alvernia University (28-10-1, 16-2) opens the Commonwealth Conference Tournament as the #1 seed and will take on #4 Messiah College (16-23, 9-9) on Thursday, May 3 at 4 p.m. The Crusaders look to avenge a disappointing appearance in the 2011 Commonwealth Tournament in which they were ousted by Etown.
For the second straight season, the Crusaders find themselves as the clear-cut favorite after dominating conference play in the regular season. The Crusaders are well aware that a new season begins on May 3. After going 2-7 in conference play to begin the season, Messiah ended the season 7-2 in conference games.
Alvernia swept Messiah in a three-game series over a month ago, a series that started with a comfortable 8-1 victory, but ended with two 1-run thrillers in which the Crusaders walked off with double off the bat of
Matt Patterson (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham) in game one.
The Crusaders will have to continue to turn in stellar pitching performances and battle at the plate to grind out its first Commonwealth Conference title. Alvernia's pitching staff has turned in a team ERA of 3.03 and has four pitchers with five or more wins.
Aaron Benusis (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) leads the staff with a 7-1 record, a 2.34 ERA in 57.2 innings, an opponents batting average of .167 and 60 strikeouts. Alvernia closer
Kevin Becker-Menditto (Frederick, Md./Walkersville) has been superb in the late innings racking up five wins and six saves in 16 appearances.
Alvernia is on fire at the plate as well this season batting .320 as a team.
Chris Ray (Exton, Pa./Henderson) and
Aaron Carman (Robesonia, Pa./Conrad Weiser) lead the team with averages of .405 and .402 respectively. In addition, six Crusaders have driven in 20-plus runs on the season, led by Patterson with 26. The Crusaders are extremely dangerous at the plate with 97 extra base hits and six players with at least one home run.
The Crusaders have the arsenal to grind down opponents and will face their first test in Messiah at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The Commonwealth Conference champion will be decided by a three-day double-elimination tournament with the schedule listed below.
Tournament Page
LiveStats
LiveAudio
Commonwealth Conference Baseball Championships
At Owls Field - Ted Palka Park (Hosted by Albright)
Directions to Owls Field
Thursday, May 3
Game #1 #4 Messiah vs. #1 Alvernia 4:00 PM
Game #2 #3 Elizabethtown vs. #2 Lebanon Valley 7:30 PM
Friday, May 4
Game #3 Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game #2 11:00 AM
Game #4 Winner Game #1 vs. Winner Game #2 3:00 PM
Game #5 Winner Game #3 vs. Loser Game #4 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 5
Game #6 Winner Game #4 vs. Winner Game #5 12:00 PM
Game #7 Repeat Game #6, if necessary
TICKET PRICES
|
|
Adults |
Seniors |
Students |
|
Day 1 |
$6 |
$5 |
$3 |
|
Day 2 |
$6 |
$5 |
$3 |
|
Day 3 |
$6 |
$5 |
$3 |
|
All-Sessions |
$10 |
$8 |
$5 |
|
Children Under 6 are FREE |
