BOX SCORE

West Lawn, Pa. (May 3, 2012) - Top-seeded Alvernia University (28-11-1) dropped a 4-1 decision to #4 Messiah College (17-23) Thursday afternoon in the opening game of the Commonwealth Conference Baseball Championships at Owls Field.

Senior Andrew Kirk (Media, Pa./Penncrest) went seven innings and took his first loss of the season.  The Crusaders return Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. to play the loser of game two between #2 Lebanon Valley College and #3 Elizabethtown College in the first elimination game of the tournament.

Kirk was cruising the first time through the order setting down the Falcons in order in each of the first three innings.  Messiah got its first baserunner of the game on a leadoff single by Sam Tajiri in the fourth.  He stole second and went to third on a sharply hit, one-out single off the bat of catcher Ryan Brown.  After a pop out to second, Kirk walked Derek Drake to load the bases, but escaped when Rory Clemens (Harleysville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) made a nice runner catch on a liner to left.

Messiah got another leadoff single in the fifth and bunted the runner to second, but Kirk picked him off then got a grounder to end the inning.  The Falcons finally broke through in the sixth.

Tajiri walked to lead off and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt.  Kirk then walked Brown and Wes Hollenbach to load the bases.  Drake followed in an infield single to drive in the first run of the game and after a pop out to short it looked like Kirk could escape with minimal damage, but he lost Jacob Sprengle on a full count to force in another run, then gave up a well-place, two-run single to Zach Brubaker to plate two more.  In all the Falcons pushed across four runs on four walks and two singles.

Messiah starter Jon Lapp opened the bottom of the sixth with a flyout and a strikeout and with a hopper to short, it looked like he had his shutdown inning, but the ball ate up John Brubaker allowing Matt Patterson (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham) to reach.  Aaron Carman (Robesonia, Pa./Conrad Weiser) followed with a single to right and Richie Ricciardi (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) singled to center to score Patterson.  Lapp then got out of a jam of his own getting Chris Gehris (Sinking Spring, Pa./Holy Name) looking to end the inning.

Messiah threatened for more with two on and one out in the eighth against reliever Cody Smith (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic), but Smith made a nice play on a comebacker to freeze the runner at third then got a flyball to center to end the threat.

Alvernia started to build something with a leadoff walk in the seventh, but a fielder's choice and a comeback doubleplay ended that threat.  The Crusaders went in order in the eighth and got a two-out triple from Gehris in the ninth, but fittingly Lapp took care of the final out of the game on a pop out to the mound.

Lapp has thrown 15 innings against the Crusaders this season allowing 15 base hits, but has limited the damage to just three unearned runs.  The Crusaders look to get healthy Friday morning against either LVC or Etown.

#4 Messiah 4, #1 Alvernia 1