Box Score
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Junior John Mentzer and senior Richie Schwartz each picked up their 100th career hit while senior Matt Sanders threw another stellar game on the mound as the red-hot Lebanon Valley College baseball team won its fifth game in a row, defeating Moravian College 3-1 at Gillespie Field Friday afternoon in a Commonwealth Conference match-up.
With the Flying Dutchmen clinging to their 3-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth, freshman Grant Wiest thwarted a Moravian rally, striking out a pair of batters to earn his fourth save of the year and tie the single-season school record set by Kevin Wagner in 1990 and Mark Morrett in 1993.
Lebanon Valley (11-14, 7-6 CC) has now won nine of its last 10 games and six of its last seven Commonwealth Conference affairs.
Coming off a five-hit shutout over Widener a week ago, Sanders (2-3) scattered six hits over 8 1/3 innings to pick up the win. He has now held his opponents to one run over his last 15 1/3. Eric Lawrence suffered the loss for Moravian (7-16, 4-9 CC) while giving up 10 hits over a complete game.
Sophomore Brandon Thompson, junior Corey Lamoureux, and junior Chris Schank each collected two hits for the Flying Dutchmen while Mentzer drove in a pair of runs. Mentzer has now hit safely in his last 11 games.
Schank and Mentzer teamed up to give the Valley a 1-0 lead in the second. Schank led off with a double before Mentzer knocked him in with a single down the leftfield line, his 100th career hit.
In the fourth, the Dutchmen had the bases loaded with nobody out after Lamoureux and Kelly singled before Schank reached on a bunt. But Lawrence escaped yielding just one run, getting Mentzer to ground into an RBI-fielder’s choice before Schwartz lined into a double play.
Wiest, who started the game in centerfield, singled to the pitcher leading off the fifth, and freshman Joe Soupik sacrificed him to second. Wiest then stole third and scored on a single to center from Thompson to give the Dutchmen a 3-0 lead.
Schwartz got his 100th hit in the ninth when he doubled down the rightfield line.
Although Moravian had one hit against Sanders in every inning from the second through the fifth, the Greyhounds never seriously threatened until the eighth, when they pushed across an unearned run. Moravian had runners on first and second with nobody out following a single and a walk, and after a throwing error moved a runner up to third, the ’Hounds scored on an RBI-groundout. Another walk put the go-ahead run at the plate, but Sanders induced an inning-ending flyout.
The ’Hounds continued to pester the Dutchmen in the ninth, when No. 6 hitter Colin Welles ripped a one-out double. Wiest was then called in to pitch, and he put out the fire with his two strikeouts sandwiched around a hit batsman.
Sanders finished with a season-high seven strikeouts while walking three. Lawrence (2-3) struck out three and walked one.
The two teams conclude their three-game season series on Saturday with a doubleheader at Lebanon Valley starting at noon.
[Photo - Senior Richie Schwartz]
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