READING, Pa. – The Arcadia University baseball team split a MAC Commonwealth doubleheader at nationally-ranked Alvernia University Saturday, falling 3-0 in game-one before taking a 4-1 victory in game-two. The Knights tied the program record for wins in a season with their game two win, matching the win total of the 2004 squad that went 28-16.
FOR THE RECORD: The Knights record now stands at 28-11 overall this season and is now 14-7 in conference play. The Crusaders are now 25-11-2 overall and 15-6 in league games.
IN THE POLLS: Alvernia is ranked 24th in this week's D3Baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Poll and is receiving votes in the latest American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball Poll. Arcadia is receiving votes in both polls this week.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: Alvernia secured the No. 1 seed in next week's MAC Commonwealth Championship Tournament after taking two of three games from Arcadia, and will face fourth-seeded Lebanon Valley (20-16, 11-10) in the first round of the double-elimination tournament. The Knights are seeded second in the tournament and will open against third-seeded Widener (25-12, 13-8). The MAC Commonwealth Championship Tournament runs May 4-6 at PeoplesBank Park in York.
GAME ONE: ALVERNIA 3, ARCADIA 0
HOW IT HAPPEDED: The Crusaders scored the only run they would need in the bottom of the second on Ben Dubas' solo home run, and then added a pair of insurance runs on Colin Rieger's bases-loaded single to left in the bottom of the sixth. The Knights managed just three hits in the game and have just two runners in scoring position.
ON THE HILL: John Catchmark (8-2) fanned 11 batters while recording the three-hit shutout for Alvernia. Freshman
Jeremy Sabathne (1-2) took the loss after allowing one run over the first three innings. Classmate
Andrew Scholz allowed two runs over his 2.1 innings of relief, while junior
Connor Laigaie recorded the final two outs of the sixth.
GAME TWO: ARCADIA 4, ALVERNIA 1
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Knights offense got going early the second time around, scoring two runs in the top of the first. Junior
Nick Cardace drove in sophomore
Bryan Gillen with a double to the gap in right before heading home on senior
Justin Chasmar's single to right. The Crusaders got one run back in the bottom of the first on Franco Esposito's single to left, but that proved to be their only run of the game.
Sophomore
Sean Carew led off the second with a double down the left field line and later scored on a squeeze play to give Arcadia a 3-1 lead. A similar sequence unfolded in the top of the fifth as Cardace single up the middle to lead off the frame and later scored on a squeeze play, which saw Chasmar thrown out at home as he tried to score from second on that same play.
ON THE HILL: Junior
Jake Lloyd (3-1) went the distance to pick up the win for Arcadia, allowing one run on six hits with five strikeouts. Ryan Sheekey (3-2) took the loss after allowing three runs on seven hits over just 1.2 innings.
ARCADIA AT BAT: Cardace was 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored in game two after going 2 for 3 with a pair of singles in the opener. Chasmar went 2 for 2 with a walk and an RBI, while Carew finished 1 for 2 with a double, and RBI and a run scored. Gillen was 2 for 4 with a runs scored from the leadoff spot.
