Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College head coach
Cliff Smith earned his 100th career victory in the Blue Jays' 9-3 win over Arcadia University in game one of the teams' Commonwealth Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Erny Field.
The Knights won game two 7-5 with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to salvage a split of the doubleheader and snap a 15-game conference losing streak.
Smith has a 100-59 record in four seasons as Elizabethtown's head coach, and becomes the fifth coach in program history to reach 100 career victories. He has led the Blue Jays to the Commonwealth Conference championship game in each of his first three seasons, including titles in 2007 and 2009.
The Blue Jays (22-14 overall, 11-7 Commonwealth) are the third seed in the Commonwealth Conference tournament, and will face second-seeded Alvernia University in their playoff opener Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Owls Field in West Lawn. Widener University is the top seed in the tournament and will play fourth-seeded Messiah College Thursday at 4:00 p.m. in the opening game of the three-day, double-elimination tournament.
In game one against Arcadia, all nine starters had at least one hit and
Todd Leister (3-1) allowed one earned run on six hits over six innings to earn the win for Elizabethtown.
Dillon Tagle went 3-for-4 with a run scored and
Rodney Francis and
Steve Motika each finished 2-for-4 for the Blue Jays, who overcame a 3-2 deficit with six runs in the top of the sixth inning.
Jerry Smith finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored for the Knights, while Dan Morris was 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly in the opener.
Each team scored in the first inning, as Elizabethtown plated a run on a double play grounder and Arcadia answered with a run on a passed ball. The Knights went ahead 2-1 in the third on a throwing error, but Elizabethtown tied the score at 2-2 in the fourth on an RBI single by
Matt Reade.
The Knights went back on top 3-2 in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Morris, but fell apart in the sixth as Elizabethtown scored six runs on six hits, two errors and a walk. The Blue Jays scored the tying run on a wild pitch, and went ahead 6-3 as a single by
Anthony Heaps with runners at first and third was misplayed by the centerfielder, allowing both runners and Heaps to score. Elizabethtown added two more runs on an RBI single by Francis and a throwing error to go ahead 8-3.
The Blue Jays wrapped up the scoring in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by
Ben Yeager, and reliever
Rob Cressman struck out the side around a single to close out the victory.
Zach Spece (1-9) took the loss for the Knights in game one, allowing 12 hits and nine runs (six earned) in six innings of work.
In game two, the Knights (9-29 overall, 2-16 Commonwealth) fell behind 1-0 in the first on a sacrifice fly by Tagle, but went ahead 3-1 in the third on a two-run double by Joe Rafanelli and an RBI grounder by Smith.
Arcadia added two more runs in the third on a two-run triple by Rafanelli, but the Blue Jays fought back to tie the score at 5-5 in the fourth on a two-run double by
Steve Motika, a sacrifice fly by
Brian Kiernan and a single by Tagle.
In the sixth, Pempkowski was hit by a pitch with one out, and with two outs back-to-back doubles by Morris and Rich Schlamowitz pushed the Knights on top 7-5.
Schlamowitz (3-8) finished off the complete-game win for the Knights in the top of the seventh, after allowing five runs on 11 hits and striking out three.
Matt Vinagro (4-4) gave up nine hits and seven runs (six earned) in 5 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays, with six strikeouts and two walks.
Ben Yeager also reached a milestone for the Blue Jays, collecting three hits in game two including a seventh-inning single for his 100th hit at Elizabethtown. Yeager went 3-for-4 for the Blue Jays, while Motika and
Jon Bacher each finished 2-for-4. Kiernan was 2-for-3 for Elizabethtown, while Motika and Tagle each knocked in two runs.
Rafanelli finished 2-for-3 and drove home four runs for Arcadia in the nightcap, while Morris was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Mike McElhatton and Jared Knable each scored a pair of runs for the Knights in the contest.