Box Score Baseball
Eastern 21, Lebanon Valley 18

ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - Eastern's walk-off grand slam stunned Lebanon Valley 21-18, finishing a wild slugfest on Wednesday.

The two teams combined for 38 runs on 39 hits, including four home runs. The Dutchmen (18-16) led 17-3 in the fifth inning, but the Eagles (6-24) chipped away over the second half of the game and finished it off with six runs in the ninth to win.

Corey Cinicola, Mike Specht, and Jordan Higgins hit home runs for LVC, including Cinicola's grand slam, and Higgins' 4-for-4 day led seven Dutchmen with multi-hit games. Joe Grato had the walk-off shot to lead Eastern with five RBI, and Andrew DiFerdinando drove in six runs on five hits.

The cold, blustery day proved unfriendly to pitchers as the teams combined to use 12 hurlers. Casey Wall had a solid start for LVC over five innings, but things unraveled in the bullpen with Mike Specht (1-2) ultimately responsible for the winning run after Mike Wakalowski relieved him in the ninth. Eastern reliever Andrew Check got the win after Ryan Ellison lasted just 2.1 innings and the Eagles strung together six pitchers out of the 'pen.

LVC broke the game open with a seven-run third, capped by Cinicola's grand slam, and went up 13-3 with a four-run fourth before Higgins' homer highlighted their three-run fifth to go up 16-3.

Eastern's rally started with two runs in the fifth, and big innings in the sixth (five runs) and sixth (four runs) cut LVC's lead to 18-14. An Eagle run in the eighth made it 18-15, and after loading the bases with one out in the ninth, singles by DiFerdina and Orr tied it before Grato put a shot over the left-center fence to win it for Eastern.

LVC will host Elizabethtown on Friday on Senior Day.