ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL
Sunday, April 13, 2008

Elizabethtown Earns Doubleheader Sweep at LVC

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

ANNVILLE, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College finished off a sweep of its three-game Commonwealth Conference series by winning both ends of a doubleheader against Lebanon Valley College on Sunday, by scores of 7-5 and 7-3.

In the opener, sophomore Rodney Francis (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) hit a three-run home run as part of a five-run fifth inning while junior Matt Kutz (New Cumberland, PA/Cedar Cliff) pitched into the seventh inning to earn the win.

With the game tied 2-2 in the fifth, the Blue Jays broke the game open as junior Adam Sheibley (Landisburg, PA/West Perry) hit a tiebreaking single before Francis belted his first home run of the season to give the Blue Jays a 6-2 lead.

Senior Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy) added an RBI single in the inning to push the Elizabethtown lead to 7-2, a lead which the Blue Jays carried into the seventh inning.

Kutz, who pitched out of trouble in the fifth and sixth innings, left with one out in the seventh after allowing a single and two walks to load the bases. Sophomore Ryan Barrett (Knox, PA/Keystone) came on in relief, but hit one batter and walked two others as the Dutchmen pulled within 7-5.

With the Blue Jays clinging to a two-run lead with the bases loaded and one out remaining for the third straight game, Barrett induced a forceout to end the opener.

Lebanon Valley took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI double by Bert Malloy, but Elizabethtown answered with two in the second on RBI singles by junior Tom Semanek (Swoyersville, PA/Bishop Hoban) and junior Eric Luff (Lincoln University, PA/Avon Grove).

The Dutchmen tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the second when Joe Soupik homered to lead off the inning, and the game remained tied until the fifth.

Francis, Auman and senior Brandon Watson (Philadelphia, PA/Central) all went 2-for-4 for the Blue Jays in the opener, while Luff finished 2-for-3 as part of a 12-hit attack. Soupik led the Dutchmen by going 3-for-3 with two runs batted in.

Kutz (4-4) allowed eight hits and five runs over 6 1/3 innings of work for the Blue Jays, striking out one but walking five. Nathan Blough (1-4) surrendered 10 hits and seven runs over five-plus innings to take the loss for the Dutchmen.

In game two, the Blue Jays (16-8 overall, 5-1 Commonwealth) scored twice in the first and five runs in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead, and sophomore Adam Hartzell (Spring City, PA/Owen J. Roberts) scattered nine hits in a complete-game effort.

The Blue Jays took a 2-0 lead int he first on an RBI single by junior Sam Heaps (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove) and a groundout by Watson, and added five runs in the fourth as sophomore Matt Vinagro (Fredericksburg, VA/Stafford) doubled home a run and scored on a bunt hit by Luff.

Sheibley followed with his third home run of the season to push the Blue Jay advantage to 6-0, and Watson added an RBI single to give Elizabethtown a 7-0 advantage.

The Dutchmen (8-17 overall, 0-6 Commonwealth) got on the board with two runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Corey Lamoureux and a groundout. John Mentzer added an RBI single in the seventh to close the scoring.

Francis finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored for the Blue Jays in game two, while sophomore Ben Yeager (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) went 2-for-4 and Heaps and Watson each finished 2-for-3 as the Blue Jays roped 13 hits against three Lebanon Valley pitchers.

Hartzell (2-0) struck out two and did not walk a batter in his second complete game of the season. Shane Specht (1-3) yielded nine hits and six runs in three innings to take the loss for the Dutchmen.

Game one
Elizabethtown Coll. 7, Lebanon Valley Coll. 5
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Elizabethtown Coll.. 020 050 0 - 7 12 0 (15-8)
Lebanon Valley Coll. 110 000 3 - 5 8 1 (8-16)
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Matt Kutz, Ryan Barrett (7) and Jared Auman; Nathan Blough, Andrew Pipkin (6) and Paul Earle. WP-Kutz (4-4). LP-Blough (1-4). SO-BB: Kutz 1-5, Barrett 0-2; Blough 6-0, Pipkin 0-1. HR-Rodney Francis (E), Joe Soupik (LV).

Game two
Elizabethtown Coll. 7, Lebanon Valley Coll. 3
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Elizabethtown Coll.. 200 500 0 - 7 13 2 (16-8)
Lebanon Valley Coll. 000 020 1 - 3 9 3 (8-17)
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Adam Hartzell and Tom Semanek; Shane Specht, Mike Snyder (4), Charley Kline (7) and Paul Earle. WP-Hartzell (2-0). LP-Specht (1-3). SO-BB: Hartzell 2-0; Specht 2-0, Snyder 0-2, Kline 0-0. HR-Adam Sheibley (E).