ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL
Saturday, March 29, 2008

Blue Jays Come Back to Earn Doubleheader Split Against Widener

Click here for the game one box score
Click here for the game two box score

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College baseball split a doubleheader with Widener University on Saturday afternoon, losing the opener 10-7 and winning 5-4 in game two.

Junior Adam Sheibley (Landisburg, PA/West Perry) led the Blue Jays in the first game going 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a run scored. Senior Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy) contributed a 2-for-4 effort and 2 RBI’s, while junior Sam Heaps (Landenburg, PA/Avon Grove) went 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Widener belted three home runs to secure the victory in game one, while Tristan Harner got the win with 5 1/3 innings of work.

In game two, Widener starter Jerry Benedict had Elizabethtown’s bats shut down for five innings. The Blue Jays trailed 4-0 going into the bottom of the 6th when the bats came alive. Sophomore Rodney Francis (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) drilled a double down the left field line, Heaps walked, then Auman pounded a single to drive in Francis.

Etown had runners on 1st and 2nd when senior Brandon Watson (Philadelphia, PA/Central) hit a grounder to the first basemen who threw errantly in an attempt to turn a double play, giving the Blue Jays bases loaded with no outs.

Junior Tom Semanek (Swoyersville, PA/Bishop Hoban) yanked a double down the right field line driving in Heaps and Auman, to close the gap to 4-3. Sophomore Ben Yeager (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) singled up the middle to score Watson and tie the game at 4-4.

Sophomore Eric Luff (Lincoln University, PA/ Avon Grove) hit a fly ball to center, and Semanek scored on the sacrifice fly to give the Blue Jays a 5-4 lead.

Senior Chris Minakowski (Roslyn, PA/Abington) finished off three scoreless innings of relief as he turned a ground ball from Alex Neiman into 1-6-3 double play to finish the game.

Game one
Widener University 10, Elizabethtown Coll. 7
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Widener University.. 003 124 0 - 10 11 2 (16-3, 1-1)
Elizabethtown Coll.. 012 202 0 - 7 8 4 (10-7, 1-1)
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Tristan Harner, Kevin Culbert (6) and Matt Fischer; Matt Kutz, Dan Lauletta (5) and Jared Auman. WP-Harner (3-1). LP-Kutz (2-2). SV-Culbert (6). SO-BB: Harner 2-5, Culbert 0-1; Kutz 3-3, Lauletta 0-2. HR-Fischer (W), Atiram (W), Cahill (W), Sheibley (E).

Game two
Elizabethtown Coll. 5, Widener University 4
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Widener University.. 000 220 0 - 4 7 3 (16-4, 1-2)
Elizabethtown Coll.. 000 005 x - 5 8 1 (11-7, 2-1)
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Jerry Benedict, Kevin Culbert (6) and Matt Fischer; Kurt Smith, Chris Minakowski (5) and Tom Semanek. WP-Minakowski (2-1). LP-Culbert (2-1). SO-BB: Benedict 6-1, Culbert 0-0; Smith 3-3, Minakowski 0-1.