York, Pa. (May 18, 2017) – Senior Ryan Sheekey threw six strong innings to earn his 20^th career victory and #5 Alvernia University (29-13-2) defeated #4 RIT (33-8) in the first game of the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Baseball Regional Thursday morning at PEOPLESBank Park.
 
Matt Briner got the Crusaders off to a good start with a 2-run single in the top of the first inning and Sheekey escaped a jam in the bottom of the inning with a bases-loaded triple play to keep it going.
 
The Crusaders picked up their 18^th regional win in their 12^th appearance and have started 1-0 for the fifth straight time in a regional appearance.  Alvernia advances into the winners bracket and will play on Friday at 4:30 p.m. against the winner of #1 Johns Hopkins/#8 Lesley.
 
"I think it's so important in the tournament to get off to a good start and get a win in that first game," said Alvernia head coach Yogi Lutz.  "If you get behind, you're playing catch-up all weekend.  Especially against a team like this that can pitch and defend it was a big win for us."
 
Alvernia started right away when Mike Cirilli reached with one out in the first and Nathan Sides put two on with a single the other way.  Sides stole second with two out and Matt Briner hit a bouncing ball in the hole between short and third to plate a pair.
 
The Tigers were in prime position to strike in the bottom of the first loading the bases with no out out, but Dillon Dunne snagged a line drive at third, tagged the bag for the second out, and fired across the diamond to complete the triple play.
 
RIT loaded the bases with three straight singles to start the inning—the last two on spinners that didn't leave the infield.  Sheekey, the steady senior making his 32^nd career start, stayed focused on the task at hand.
 
"Ethan Francis came out to the mound because I kept shaking him off," said Sheekey of the pitching decision on 2-1.  "That was the play, it was going to be a change up we're calling.  It's going to be right to Dunne and boom it was a turning point for sure."
 
Base runners continued to be easy to come by into the second inning. Francis walked with one out and Dunne and Colin Rieger followed with singles to load the bases with one out.  Cirilli ripped a ball into the hole that RIT third baseman Jason Schulz snagged on a diving stop to start the around-the-horn double play.
 
RIT had two on in the bottom of the second, but failed to score, and the Crusaders were the first team to go in order in the top of the third.
 
Will Gorman doubled on a 3-1 pitch with one out in the bottom of the third and came around on a Brett Kajganich single for the Tigers' first run of the game.  An inning later the home team threatened again sacrificing runners to second and third with one out.
 
Sheekey dug in and struck out Schulz on a 3-2 pitch or the second out of the inning then stranded the runners getting a ground ball to short.
 
Alvernia put an insurance run on the board in the fifth when Sides ripped a two-out triple to the track in center to plate Rieger then tacked on four more in the sixth.
 
Rieger walked with two out and the bases loaded and Cirilli drove in another run on a bunt single.  Sides then hit a bouncing ball in the hole on the right side that the RIT second baseman threw wide to first allowing two more to score.
 
Sheekey worked around a 1-out walk in the sixth and finished his day going six innings allowing just one earned run on seven hits with five strikeouts.
 
Nicholas Marotta took the ball for the seventh and went an inning and two thirds allowing two unearned runs in the eighth.  Michael Griffin needed one pitch to strand two in the eighth on a comebacker.  He gave up a solo shot in the ninth before closing out the game.
 
The top three batters in the Alvernia lineup had two hits apiece—Rieger, Cirilli, and Sides—as did the bottom two—Francis and Dunne.
 
Sheekey is the ninth player to reach 20 career wins for the Crusaders and the first since Chuck Nicholas ('11) climbed to second place on the all-time list with 28.
 
#5 Alvernia 8, #4 RIT 4