Box Score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Lebanon Valley erased a late-game seven-run deficit, but Elizabethtown scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth as the Blue Jays held on to defeat the Flying Dutchmen 10-9 in Commonwealth Conference action Friday afternoon at Kevin Scott Boyd Memorial Stadium.
With the loss, Lebanon Valley (14-15, 5-11 CC) dropped its fifth game in a row and fell below .500 for the first time this season. Elizabethtown improved to 16-12-1 and 12-4 in the Commonwealth.
With two outs and the game tied 9-9, the Jays pushed home the go-ahead run against junior reliever Brian McFarlane on a Dean Wheatham triple to right-center and a Damien Jones single to left. A walk put runners on first and second, but freshman Ben Christopher came on to induce a flyout to end the inning.
The Dutchmen had the tying run on second in the top of the ninth against E-town reliever Adam Rebert after freshman shortstop John Mentzer led off with a walk and was sacrificed to second. But Mentzer was left stranded after Rebert got a strikeout and flyout to end the game.
Matt Woehnker (1-1) threw 1/3 of an inning in relief to earn the win while Rebert picked up his first save of the season. McFarlane (1-1) took the loss.
Lebanon Valley had more hit (12) than E-town but made five errors compared to the Blue Jays' two. Only four of Elizabethtown's runs were earned.
Sophomore leftfielder Dan Kelly led the Dutchmen at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two triples, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Senior centerfielder Scott Montgomery went 3-for-4 and scored twice to bring his career runs total to 99. Mentzer and junior catcher Matt Rich each had two hits.
The Jays never trailed after pushing across a pair of unearned runs off Lebanon Valley starter Matt Sanders in the first. E-town extended its lead to 5-0 with a three-run, three-hit third.
Lebanon Valley scored single runs in the fourth and fifth against E-town starter Drew Kelley, but the Jays answered with four runs on two hits, two walks, and an error in the sixth to assume a 9-2 lead.
The Dutchmen plated seven runs over the seventh and eighth against three different Blue Jay pitchers. They started their rally by opening the seventh with three straight hits to chase Kelley from the game with E-town leading 9-3. Lebanon Valley went on to score three times against Blue Jay reliever Andy Mees to make it 9-6 as all nine LVC batters came to the plate in the inning.
In the eighth, Elizabethtown had the bases empty with two outs following a double play, but three hits and an error later the game was tied. Montgomery and senior first baseman Craig Denlinger rapped back-to-back singles before Mees was pulled for Woehnker. Kelly greeted Woehnker with a line-drive, two-run triple that got past the centerfielder and rolled all the way to the wall. Kelly went on to score the tying run when E-town's shortstop misplayed a grounder in the hole hit by sophomore catcher Richard Schwartz.
Lebanon Valley was one out away from the ninth when McFarlane induced a 4-6-3 double play to clear the bases before the Jays' late rally.
Sanders threw 5 2/3 innings and gave up nine runs (three earned) on nine hits and four walks. Kelley allowed five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five over six innings.
Lebanon Valley and Elizabethtown are scheduled to complete their season series with a doubleheader at LVC on Saturday starting at noon.
[Photo - Sophomore Dan Kelly, who was 3-for-5 with two triples and three RBIs against Elizabethtown on Friday]
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