YORK, Pa. – A pair of five-run innings by fifth-seeded Alvernia proved too much for sixth-seeded Elizabethtown to overcome. The Blue Jays were ousted from the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional with an 11-1 loss to the Crusaders Saturday morning at PEOPLEsBank Park in York.
 
E-town finishes the year with a 28-17 overall record, its winningest season since 2009 and tied for the fourth most wins in a season in program history. The Crusaders, receiving votes in the most recent D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25, move on to another elimination game at 7:45 tonight.
 
Mike Garvey took the ball for the Blue Jays and made it through the first two innings unscathed, but Alvernia would strike for five in the third and never look back.
 
Two Blue Jay errors extended the inning and Ben Dubas took advantage with a three-run double, which was followed by another RBI double from Franco Esposito.
 
Before Elizabethtown could get on the board, the Crusaders (30-14-2) put together five more runs in the fifth to go up 10-0. Matt Briner, Esposito and Mike Cirilli each knocked in a run and Nathan Sides capped the inning with a two-run single.
 
Senior first baseman Brian Portillo, who went 6 for 12 (.500) with six RBI in the regional tournament, led off the bottom of the fifth with a double and scored Elizabethtown's only run on a James Kantner sacrifice fly two batters later.
 
Other than Portillo (2 for 3) and catcher Frank Ragozzino (2 for 3), the Jays struggled to find success against Alvernia righty Thomas Malik.
 
Malik went all the way to win his sixth game of the season. He yielded just six hits while walking two and striking out two.
 
Garvey fell to 4-3 as the Crusaders got to him for seven runs --two earned-- on eight hits in 4.1 innings. The sophomore did strike out four in 4.1 innings. Andrew Brndjar threw 2.2 scoreless innings and Josh Kwak struck out two in a scoreless ninth.
 
Sides, Dubas and Esposito all had three RBI for Alvernia and Briner scored a team-high three runs.
 
Saturday's game marked the final time that seniors Kevin Elwell, Kyle Fackler, Kwak, Richy Masciarelli, Portillo and Ragozzino put on a Blue Jays uniform. The six seniors will graduate in a special ceremony at Boyd Stadium later today.