BOX SCORE  | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

West Lawn, Pa. (May 3, 2013) - Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year Leon Stimpson (Philadelphia, Pa./Malvern Prep) went 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI and Pitcher of the Year Kevin Becker-Menditto (Frederick, Md./Walkersville) closed the door with a 7-out save to carry top-seeded Alvernia University (32-9) into the Championship Round of the Commonwealth Baseball Championship with an 8-2 win over #2 Arcadia University (22-18-1) Friday afternoon at Owls Field.

Stimpson doubled and scored in the first, knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly in the second, and singled and stole two bases and scored in the fourth.  Alvernia led 6-2 in the seventh but got into a jam when the tying run came to the plate with two out.  Becker-Menditto was summoned and worked out of it with a strikeout.

He allowed two singles in the eighth, but pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his school-record 11th save of the season.

The Crusaders scored three times in the first and appeared on their way to a blowout pushing across two more in the second for a 5-0 lead in support of sophomore starter Steve Price (Barto, Pa./Boyertown).

Arcadia scored two runs off Price in the fourth--both runners reached being hit by a pitch--but the Knights could't put up a zero on the bottom of the fourth to keep the momentum.  Stimpson singled with one out, stole second and third, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Billy Turner (Columbia, N.J./North Warren Regional).

Price gave up two runs on eight hits with a walk and the two hit batters.  He improves to 6-1 with the win.  Senior reliever Anthony Gambino (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) went two-thirds of an inning and left the bases loaded when he turned it over to Becker-Menditto in the seventh.

Stimpson had the only multi-hit game for the Crusaders, but seven of the other eight players in the lineup had a hit apiece.  Alvernia advances to the Championship Round at noon on Saturday and will face the winner of the elimination game between Arcadia and #3 Stevenson.

#1 Alvernia 8, #2 Arcadia 2