ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL
Sunday, March 25, 2007

Elizabethtown’s Wins Commonwealth Conference Opener, 4-3, over Lebanon Valley

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College defeated Lebanon Valley College 4-3 in the Commonwealth Conference opener for both teams Sunday. The game was originally scheduled for Friday, but it was postponed twice due to inclement weather. Elizabethtown improves to 7-4 overall and 1-0 in the conference with the win, while Lebanon Valley drops to 1-8 overall and 0-1 in the conference with the loss.

Elizabethtown took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Dean Whetham (Wilmington, DE/Brandywine) began the inning with a key at-bat. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, he ran the count to 2-2 and fouled off a pair of pitches before singling up the middle of the field. Brandon Watson (Philadelphia, PA/Central) followed with another single, and Adam Sheibley (Landisburg, PA/West Perry) loaded the bases with no outs on a bunt single down the third base line. Jared Morris (Brielle, NJ/Manasquan) followed with a fielder’s choice that drove home Whetham, while Watson was out at third on the play. The bases were loaded again with one out when Rodney Francis (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) reached on an error. A balk by Lebanon Valley pitcher Matt Sanders (Lebanon, PA/Annville-Cleona) sent home Sheibley.

Lebanon Valley cut the gap to 2-1 with a run in the top of the fifth inning. Brandon Thompson (Harrisburg, PA/Harrisburg Christian) reached second base on an error to start the inning and moved up to third when Joe Soupik (Gilbertsville, PA/Boyertown) followed with a single. Thompson scored when the next batter, Joe Kopchick (Mechanicsburg, PA/Mechanicsburg), grounded into a double play.

Elizabethtown took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth. Ryan White (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) led off with a single and stole second base, and he advanced to third on a groundout by Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy). White scored on another groundout by Whetham.

In the top of the eighth, Lebanon Valley scored a pair of runs to tie the game 3-3. Kopchick led off with a single. Dan Kelly (King of Prussia, PA/Upper Merion) followed with a sacrifice bunt, and he wound up on second base and Kopchick ended up on third as the result of a throwing error. Corey Lamoureux (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) followed with a single that drove home Kopchick and sent Kelly to third. With one out, a fielder’s choice by John Mentzer (Myerstown, PA/ELCO) sent home Kelly for the tying run.

Elizabethtown rallied right back with a run in the bottom of the eighth, as Watson drove the first pitch to the right-center field wall for a stand-up triple. Sheibley followed with a sacrifice fly to right field to score Watson, and that turned out to be the game-winning run, making the score 4-3.

Tyler Hoffman (Phoenix, MD/Loyola Blakefield) pitched a complete game for Elizabethtown, spreading six hits, two walks, three runs and one earned run over nine innings while striking out two. He improved to 2-2 on the season with the win. Sanders pitched the first 7-1/3 innings for Lebanon Valley, spreading nine this, four runs, three earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts over that span.

Watson finished the game 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored for Etown, and Morris went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Sheibley hit 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI and a sacrifice fly, and Whetham batted 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI. White went 1-for-4 with a run and a stolen base.

Elizabethtown will return to action on the road at Lebanon Valley for the make-up of a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. Monday, March 26.

Elizabethtown 4, Lebanon Valley 3
(Mar 25, 2007 at Elizabethtown, Pa.)
---------------------------------------------------
Lebanon Valley 000 010 020 - 3 6 3 (1-8, 0-1 Comm.)
Elizabethtown  000 210 01X - 4 9 2 (7-4, 1-0 Comm.)
---------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Lebanon Valley - Matt Sanders; Mike Snyder(8). Elizabethtown - Tyler Hoffman.
Win-Tyler Hoffman(2-2) Loss-Matt Sanders(0-2) T-2:10 A-200