SELINSGROVE, Pa. – A walk-off wild pitch and a six-run fifth inning propelled the Susquehanna University baseball team to another doubleheader sweep of Elizabethtown College on Monday, completing the four-game series sweep of the Blue Jays. The River Hawks (5-4, 5-1 LC) rallied from a 10-6 deficit for an 11-10 victory in eight innings in the first game and then Susquehanna picked up an 11-6 triumph in the nightcap.
GAME 1
How It Happened
With the game tied 10-10 in the bottom of the eighth following a two-out, two-RBI single by junior designated hitter
Adam Schreck (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan), sophomore
Jared Forscht (Sellersville, Pa./Faith Christian Academy) came in to pinch run for
Schreck.
Forscht proceeded to steal both second and third before scoring the game-winning run on a wild pitch by junior
Matt Barton.
Elizabethtown opened up the game with a 2-0 lead following an RBI single by sophomore
Zach Silfies and a sacrifice fly by senior
Andrew Fisher in the top of the second inning. The Blue Jays added another in the third, this time on an RBI single by junior
Robbie Bertucio. Etown went up 4-0 with another single run in the fourth as first-year
AJ Bednar singled down the right field line to score
Silfies, who had a lead-off single and went to second on an error.
The River Hawks responded with four runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth as
Schreck had an RBI single, fifth-year senior infielder
Alec Ranck (Elverson, Pa./Twin Valley) had a sacrifice fly and junior outfielder
Evan Knapp (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) cracked a two RBI double.
Etown reclaimed the lead, 6-4, in the fifth when sophomore
Ben Watson made contact for a two RBI single. Susquehanna also added two in the fifth to once again tie the game as two runs scored due to Blue Jay errors. Both teams remained off the scoreboard over the next two innings to force the extra frame.
After a lead-off ground out, the Blue Jays hit three straight singles to load the bases in the eighth.
Bednar drew a bases-loaded walk and Etown took a 7-6 lead with bases still loaded. A ground out allowed another run to cross home plate and give the visitors a two-run advantage. Junior
Joey Thomas stepped up to the plate with runners on second and third and singled through the right side to drive in two more runs and a 10-6 Etown lead. Junior
Dillan Weikel (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg Area) got out of the inning with a ground out.
A lead-off single and back-to-back walks loaded the bases for the River Hawks. Following a popup, senior outfielder
Steve Lorenz (Langhorne, Pa./William Penn) hit an RBI single to score senior infielder
Chris Corrado (Tuckahoe, N.Y./Tuckahoe) and then a fielder's choice to fifth-year senior infielder
Anthony Dombrowski (Pompton Plains, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) allowed fifth-year senior outfielder
Craig Roumes (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) to score and close the gap, 10-8, setting the scene for
Schreck and
Forscht.
Inside the Box Score
Susquehanna continues to run the bases well, adding another seven to their Landmark Conference leading total of 40. The River Hawks currently rank third in Division III with 4.57 stolen bases per game. SU tallied 11 runs on 10 hits and collected nine RBI while leaving nine on base.
Etown notched 10 runs on 13 hits (all singles), registered 10 RBI and left seven stranded.
Top Performers
Schreck led the way at the plate for the River Hawks, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. The four RBI matched a career-best for
Schreck while the three hits are a season-high.
Lorenz and sophomore infielder
JP Yore (Olney, Md./Sherwood both finished with two hits.
Weikel (1-0) picked up his first win of the season with 2.0 innings of relief, giving up four runs (all earned) on four hits with one strikeout and one walk.
Silfies paced Elizabethtown at the plate with a 3-for-4 effort and one RBI.
Watson (0-1), who went 2-for-4 with two RBI, suffered the loss on the mound as he allowed five runs on three hits in 2.2 innings of relief.
GAME 2
How It Happened
Susquehanna took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first after
Yore plated both
Roumes and senior catcher
Peter Yarem (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains Fanwood) with a single through the left side.
The Blue Jays came out swinging in the top of the second, staking a 4-2 advantage with an RBI single by
Fisher, a bases loaded walk to
Bednar, an RBI single by senior
JT Thompson, and an RBI ground out to
Thomas. First-year
Adam Stuck (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) came in relief for sophomore starter
Cole Bernier (Bellefonte, Pa./St. Joseph's Catholic) and got the next batter to strike out for the final out.
The River Hawks came back with three in the third to reclaim the lead.
Yarem scored on a throwing error and then
Lorenz connected for his fourth career home run, and first of the season, a two-run shot for the 5-4 SU lead.
Elizabethtown tied the game up, 5-5, in the fifth on a
Fisher two-out single through the left side to score
Watson, who had drawn a walk in his at-bat.
SU broke the game open with six runs in its half of the fifth. Back-to-back doubles by senior infielder
Jimmy Loftus (Phoenixville, Pa./Devon Prep) and
Lorenz drove in the first three runs for an 8-5 lead.
Lorenz,
Dombrowski, and
Schreck all crossed home plate on wild pitches to push the lead to 11-5. The Blue Jays notched one more in the sixth but would get no closer.
Inside the Box Score
The River Hawks collected another five stolen bases while scoring 11 runs on nine hits, including four extra-base hits, with eight RBI. Elizabethtown also had solid base running with six bags of its own while tallying six runs on five hits with six RBI. The Blue Jays did leave 12 players stranded.
Top Performers
Four River Hawks tallied two hits apiece while
Lorenz batted in a career-best four runs.
Stuck (1-1) earned the win after scattering just two hits with no runs and striking out three in 2.2 innings of relief.
Fisher led Etown offensively, going 3-for-5 with two RBI, while
Watson stole four bases. Senior starter
Tyler Dunbar (0-1) took the loss, allowing nine runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts in 4.0 innings.
Up Next for the River Hawks
Apr. 10 at Drew (0-10, 0-10 Landmark) – Madison, N.J. – 12:30 p.m. (DH)
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