ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL
Sunday, April 27, 2008

Blue Jays Head to Postseason After 8-4 Win over Arcadia in Regular-Season Finale

Click here for the box score

GLENSIDE, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College scored eight unanswered runs to overcome an early 3-0 deficit and defeat Arcadia University 8-4 in non-conference baseball action on Sunday afternoon.

Sophomore Rodney Francis (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) went 2-for-4 and hit a tiebreaking double in the top of the sixth inning as the Blue Jays enter the postseason with a 23-10 record, the most regular-season wins for an Elizabethtown squad since 1999.

Senior Brandon Watson (Philadelphia, PA/Central) went 2-for-5 for the Blue Jays while sophomore Matt Vinagro (Fredericksburg, VA/Stafford) finished 2-for-4 with two RBI in the win.

Arcadia (16-20-1 overall) jumped to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning on back-to-back home runs by John Curreri and Ken Spangenberg to lead off the inning, and the Knights added a run in the second on a sacrifice fly by Spangenberg.

The Blue Jays tied the game with three runs in the fourth on an RBI single by Vinagro, a bases-loaded walk to junior Adam Sheibley (Landisburg, PA/West Perry) and a hit by pitch by junior Sam Heaps (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove).

Francis gave the Blue Jays a 4-3 lead in the sixth on an RBI double, and Elizabethtown tacked on four runs in the ninth on a passed ball, an RBI single by Watson, a bases-loaded walk to Vinagro and a sacrifice fly by first-year student Andrew Gordon (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco).

Arcadia rounded out the scoring in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single by Nick Goetz, the last of 11 hits by the Knights on the afternoon.

First-year student Wayne Leonard (Newark, DE/Delaware Military) got the win in relief for the Blue Jays with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of work, while Arcadia starter Andy Bella (3-3) allowed four runs on six hits in six innings to take the loss.

Spangenberg finished 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and two runs scored for Arcadia, while Curreri went 2-for-5 and Bella finished 2-for-3 at the plate.

Elizabethtown Coll. 8, Arcadia University 4
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Elizabethtown Coll.. 000 301 004 - 8 10 2 (23-10)
Arcadia University.. 210 000 001 - 4 11 0 (16-20-1)
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Steve Shuleski, Greg Katz (2), Wayne Leonard (5), Kurt Smith (7), Chris Minakowski (8), Ryan Barrett (9) and Jared Auman; Andy Bella, Dan Manning (7), Joe Cooney (8), Rich Greenfield (9) and Brian Maul. WP-Leonard (1-0). LP-Bella (3-3). SO-BB: Shuleski 0-1, Katz 1-2, Leonard 1-0, Smith 1-0, Minakowski 0-0, Barrett 1-0; Bella 2-4, Manning 1-0, Cooney 0-0, Greenfield 0-4. HR-John Curreri (A), Ken Spangenberg (A).