Baseball Splits Against Blue Jays

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 PHILADELPHIA, Pa.: With a 4-3 victory in today's opening game against visiting Elizabethtown College, the Knights recorded their third straight at the same time they picked up another Commonwealth Conference win. The Blue Jays settled the score by winning the second game of today's doubleheader 6-3 to force the series rubber match to be decided on Monday, March 26 in Elizabethtown.

Arcadia improves to 7-11 overall and sits at 2-2 in Commonwealth play, also improving to 5-3 on their home Erny Field. The Blue Jays, who lost to Messiah in last season's Commonwealth Championship final, stand at 10-5 overall and 1-1 in the league.

Junior Jordan Hofferman was the game one winning pitcher of record and improves to 3-0 on the year. Through four and one-third innings, Hofferman allowed no earned runs as the Blue Jays scored 2 total in that time against 2 hits and a walk. Senior Steve Romond got the game one start, throwing two and two-thirds innings with no earned runs on 1 hit and 4 walks.

The Knights were the aggressor in the opening tilt, seemingly finding the outfield gaps with ease, on their way to out-hitting the Blue Jays 11-3.

Arcadia struck early in the bottom of the second, ending the frame with a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Jay Zehring plated sophomore David Jacobs off a double to right center and junior Nick Petroski ripped a single to left driving in senior Mark Bowman, who singled to center to get on base. It was a five-hit frame for the home team and a sign of things to come on offense.

On the other hand, Arcadia was their own worst enemy on defense, committing 7 errors that resulted in all of E'town's run scored.

The Blue Jays cut into the Knight's 2-0 lead with a one-run third inning but luckily for Arcadia, they countered in their half of three, plating 2 runs on 3 hits. A sinlge to right center from junior Jerry Smith, brought home sophomore Justin Simpson who singled to left earlier in the inning. That was all for E'town starter Matt Ruth, who would be tagged with the loss, as Kris Davis entered in relief. Before the inning was done, sophomore Pat Kwaitkowski knocked a double into left center scoring another Arcadia run for a 4-1 lead.

Three more errors committed by the Knights in the fourth led to two Blue Jays runs, allowing Arcadia just a one-run cushion. However E'town was allowed just two hits off of Hofferman as scoring for both team halted with the Knights holding on to win the series opener by a 4-3 count.

Jacobs finished 2-3 with 2 runs scored, Kwaitkowski with one RBI on 1-2 at the dish while Petroski went 1-2 with one batted in.

The Blue Jays turned the tables on Arcadia in game two, out-hitting the Knights 12-5. E'town took an early 1-0 lead off Knights' game two starter senior Marc Gottfried. The game remained 1-0 Blue Jays until the top of the fifth when the visitors did their most damage, taking the Knights for four runs and a 5-0 lead.

However, it would be short-lived as the home team tacked on three scored in the bottom of the fifth allowing E'town just a two-run advantage. Senior Mike McElhatton drove in Arcadia's first score on an RBI single to right center. Right center found Simpson's run-scoring single for the Knight's second run and senior Sean Morris took home base on an error from E'town.

Leading 5-3, the Blue Jays got an insurance run in the top of the 6th and would go on to win 6-3 behind a solid outing from starter Taras Letnaunchyn who improves to 4-0 and a save from Todd Leister, his 4th of the season. Gottfried drops to 2-4 overall, working four and two-thirds innings allowing 4 earned runs on 8 hits and 2 walks.

Game time for Monday's series finale is set for 3:30 p.m.

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