Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College split a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader with Arcadia University Saturday afternoon, winning 10-2 in six innings in the opener and dropping the nightcap 7-1, but clinched a berth in next week's conference playoffs.
The Blue Jays (18-11-1 overall, 7-7 Commonwealth) entered the final day of the season tied with Alvernia University for the fourth and final playoff spot at 6-6, with Elizabethtown holding the tiebreaker by virtue of a doubleheader sweep of the Crusaders on April 20. Alvernia split its doubleheader with Lycoming College Saturday, losing 8-4 in 10 innings in game one before coming back for a 9-2 win in game two.
Elizabethtown will be the fourth seed in the Commonwealth Conference playoffs and will open tournament action against top-seed and host Lebanon Valley College Friday at 11:00 a.m. in Annville. Defending conference and NCAA Division III champion Messiah College is the tournament's second seed and will play third-seeded Widener University Friday at 1:00 p.m. in the other opening-round game of the double-elimination tournament.
Against Arcadia, the Blue Jays used a five-run third and a four-run sixth to defeat the Knights in game one, while Arcadia (14-25 overall, 5-9 Commonwealth) posted a pair of big innings of its own in game two with a four-run fifth and a three-run sixth to erase a 1-0 deficit.
In game one,
Elly McCarthy went 2-for-4 and tied the program single-season record with her ninth home run of the season in the sixth inning, while
Courtney Comstock finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two runs batted in and winning pitcher
Julie Sebastian finished 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.
The Blue Jays took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Comstock singled, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by
Paige Tanner. The Knights tallied twice in the third on an RBI triple by Lindsey Henchinski and an RBI single by Virginia Buechel to take a 2-1 lead.
Elizabethtown answered with five runs in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by Comstock, an error, a two-run single by
Sarah Church and a sacrifice fly by
Lindsey Cooper to go on top 6-2.
In the sixth, McCarthy led off with her ninth home run of the season to equal the school record set by Lori Lobb in 1988, and the Blue Jays added three more runs on an RBi single by Comstock and a two-run double from
Whitney Breneman which triggered the eight-run rule and gave the Blue Jays the win.
Sebastian (10-5) gave up five hits and two runs in six innings to take the win for Elizabethtown, striking out six and walking one. Kellie Reese (7-13) allowed 10 runs (eight earned) on 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings for Arcadia. Buechel led the Knights at the plate in game one by going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
In game two, Elizabethtown took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by
Shannon Marsico, and Blue Jay starter
Emily Vogel shut out the Knights through the first four innings.
In the fifth, sloppy defense contributed to a four-run outburst that gave Arcadia a 4-1 lead. Henchinski had an RBI single to tie the game, while a throwing error at home plate gave the Knights a 2-1 lead. RBI singles by Marissa Perez and Buechel put Arcadia on top 4-1, and the Knights added three more runs in the sixth on a sacrifice fly, another throwing error and an RBI double from Kristen Burns.
Arcadia finished with 11 hits in game two, as Burns, Ashley McCarthy and Amy Johnson all had two hits apiece. Johnson scored a pair of runs for the Knights while Henchinski had two runs batted in.
Elly McCarthy was the lone Blue Jay with more than one hit in the nightcap, accounting for two of the Blue Jays' six hits.
Kelsey Roberts (7-10) gave up an unearned run on six hits to earn the win for Arcadia, while Vogel yielded seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in five-plus innings of work for Elizabethtown.