Game One Box Score Game Two Box Score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Lebanon Valley and Elizabethtown traded seventh-inning rallies as the two teams split a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon.
The Flying Dutchmen erupted for a seven-run seventh in the opener, winning 9-5 before the Blue Jays rallied from a 3-1 deficit and scored three times in the seventh for a 4-3 win in the nightcap.
It was the second last-inning comeback victory in as many days for Elizabethtown (10-6-1, 5-1 CC). In its 6-5 victory at Lebanon Valley on Friday, the Blue Jays scored three runs in the top of the ninth to come back from a 5-3 hole.
In the first game, E-town held a 5-2 lead heading into the top of the seventh when junior Dan Kelly led off with a single against Blue Jay reliever Matt Woehnker, who earned the save in Friday’s game. A single from sophomore Corey Lamoureux and a walk from junior Richie Schwartz loaded the bases for sophomore John Mentzer, who singled in a run.
Matt Kutz was then summoned out of the bullpen and sophomore Chris Schank greeted him with a bases-clearing triple to put the Dutchmen up 6-5. Junior Brad Brandt followed up with a two-run homer, the Dutchmen’s first long ball of the season, before Kelly capped the big inning with an RBI-double.
Freshman Charley Kline worked the first six innings and picked up his first collegiate victory for the Dutchmen. Kline (1-1) yielded only one earned run on six hits and two walks while striking out three. Senior Ryan Dalton pitched a three-up, three-down seventh for LVC.
Kelly finished 3-for-5 with a pair of runs in Game One while Schwartz was 2-for-2 with two runs scored. Mentzer went 3-for-4 and Brandt had two hits as the Dutchmen tied a season-high with 14 hits.
In the second game, senior starter Taylor Sgrignoli was in a groove early on, holding the Blue Jays to one run on five hits through the first six innings. After E-town went ahead 1-0 in the third, Lebanon Valley seized a 3-1 lead after scoring twice in the fourth and once in the fifth. Kelly got things started once again, ripping another leadoff single before stealing second. He scored on a single from freshman Bert Malloy, who proceeded to swipe second as well. Mentzer put the Dutchmen up 2-1 when he tripled home Malloy.
Lebanon Valley tacked on its third run before an out was recorded following a Brandt walk, a Matt Rich double, and an Alex Morrison RBI-single.
Elizabethtown was down to its last out when Mike Donahue made it a 3-2 game, singling in a runner from second. Jon Kalejta followed up with a single and moved up a bag on the throw to third before Dean Whetham ended the game with a two-run single to left.
Sgrignoli (0-2) was charged with the loss while Tyler Hoffman scattered seven hits to earn the complete-game win for E-town.
Mentzer went 2-for-3 in the nightcap and finished 5-for-8 for the doubleheader. Rich was 2-for-3 in Game Two.
Lebanon Valley continues its season on Wednesday, when it hosts Ursinus College at 3:30 p.m. in non-conference action.
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