Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box
ANNVILLE, Pa. - Elizabethtown College dealt Lebanon Valley College two tough losses Saturday, winning both ends of a doubleheader, 7-5 and 7-3, at McGill Field.
The losses mean the Dutchmen (8-17, 0-6 Commonwealth) would most likely have to win their final six conference games to have a shot at making the three-team conference playoff field.
LVC kept game one close until E-town broke the game open with a five-run fifth inning, and Lebanon Valley's three-run comeback effort in the seventh fell short. The Blue Jays then jumped out to a 7-0 lead in game two that LVC never recovered from.
Nate Blough took the loss in game one, going five innings and allowing all seven runs. Andrew Pipkin gave up two hits in two innings of relief. Matt Kutz got the win for Elizabethtown.
In game two, Shane Spect was tagged with the loss, going three innings and giving up six runs on nine hits. Mike Snyder and Charley Kline combined for four hits and a run in four innings of relief. Adam Hartzell pitched a complete game to earn the win.
LVC struck first in game one as Brandon Thompson led off with a walk and worked his way around on a sacrifice bunt and a sac fly. Bert Malloy's double to the wall in right center scored Thompson for a 1-0 lead.
E-town answered with two in the second, first when Tom Semanek singled to left to score Jared Aumen, then when Eric Luff roped a ball down the right field line to score Brandon Watson. The Dutchmen tied the game in the bottom of the inning, however, thanks to Joe Soupik's lead-off home run to right center.
The Blue Jays then took the lead for good in the fifth, scoring five in the inning. Rodney Francis keyed the rally with a three-run blast that landed on the steps of Fascik Bridge beyond right field.
But like they had done in Friday's 13-11 loss, the Dutchmen rallied in the final inning and put themselves in a position to win. With one out, Kutz walked the bases loaded, and Ryan Barrett came on in relief. Barrett plunked John Mentzer to bring a run across, and after Malloy reached on a fielder's choice that got Thompson at home, Joe Kopchick and Soupik drew back-to-back bases-loaded walks to bring two more runs across. With the bases still loaded, Paul Earle hit into a fielder's choice and Soupik was retired at second to end the game.
Game two wasn't as close as E-town took a 7-0 lead and never gave it up. After a two-run first, the Blue Jays scored five in the fifth, including Adam Sheibley's two-run shot to right. LVC pulled two runs back in the fifth with an RBI single by Corey Lamoureux and Mentzer's RBI ground-out, and the Dutchmen added one more run in the seventh with Mentzer's single to right center.
LVC will play host to Susquehanna University Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
