Box Score

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. - Lebanon Valley College rallied late with five runs in the eighth inning, but fell agonizingly short of beating Elizabethtown College as it fell, 13-11, in a wild Commonwealth Conference game Friday.

The Dutchmen (8-15, 0-4 CC) left the bases loaded in the top of the ninth with a chance to win the game. The Blue Jays (14-8, 3-1 CC) committed five errors in the game and led 13-6 going into the eighth before surrendering five Dutchman runs in the inning.

Nick Faria was tagged with the loss, going four innings and allowing eight runs, all earned. Dan Lauletta earned the win with three and a third of relief, and Ryan Barrett notched his first save of the season, coming in to strike out Chris Schank in the ninth for the final out.

The loss tainted a fine day for second baseman John Mentzer, who was 4-for-6 with four RBI and a run. The senior singled in the first run of the game in the first, but E-town answered with three in the bottom of the inning to take a 3-1 lead, and tacked on another run in the third on Tom Semanek's RBI single down the line.

The Blue Jays then broke the game open with a four-run fourth keyed by a balk on Faria. After apparently picking off baserunner Sam Heaps for what would have been the third out, Faria was called for the balk, and three more runs scored after that.

The Dutchmen came right back with five runs in the fifth, however, to cut the Blue Jay lead to 8-6. With two on, Dennis Morgan singled to left to score Joe Soupik, and Bert Malloy scored on an error after Corey Lamoureux's fielder's choice. Mentzer then knocked a two-run single through the hole, and Schank's single up the middle added the final run of the inning.

The game quickly see-sawed back to Elizabethtown's favor, as a two-run double by Brandon Watson set off a five-run inning that re-established the Blue Jay's lead at 13-6.

Lebanon Valley didn't give up, pounding out five more runs in the eighth behind three E-town errors. Then, with two outs and down by two runs in the ninth, LVC managed to put Brandon Thompson on with a single, and a dropped fly ball by the second baseman extended the game as Lamoureux reached. Mentzer's infield single loaded the bases, but after the Blue Jays brought Barrett in to close, Schank struck out looking to end the game.

LVC and Elizabethtown will meet Saturday at McGill Field for a twinbill starting at noon.