Knights Drop Final Game of Series with E'town

Box Score ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.: Trailing 4-1 to start the fifth, Arcadia put up five scores to take one-run lead but the home Blue Jays matched it with a six run half and stayed enough ahead of the Knights to take today's rubber-game of the Commonwealth Conference series by a 15-10 final. The teams combined for 27 hits and 13 errors on the day as Elizabethtown takes the series two games to one.

A three hit, four RBI performance at the dish for sophomore Pat Kwaitkowski led the Knight's offensive efforts while junior Tyler Guentter took the loss on the hill through one and two-third innings of work.

Elizabethtown improves to 11-5 overall and 2-1 within the Commonwealth. The Knights now stand at 7-12 overall and 2-4 in the league.

The Jays began their run production in the bottom of two, plating two runs on two hits. The Knights used an RBI single to left center from Kwaitkowski to get one run back in the top of the third. With a 2-1 lead, E'town added another two-run inning in the the bottom of three and held the Knight's scoreless in the top of the fourth, holding onto their 4-1 advantage.

Arcadia's bats came alive in the top of the fifth, striking for 5 hits and scoring 4 runs to pull ahead on the scoreboard 5-4. Following two unearned scores, and another RBI single from Kwiatkowski, sophomore Jay Zehring (2-4, RBI)dropped an RBI sinlge into left field bringing Kwaitkowski home before the Knights left two on to end the frame.

Finding themselves down a run, the Jays exploded for a 6 run inning in the bottom of five to regain their lead, now a 10-5 advantage for the home team.

The squads traded two runs apeice in the sixth and for the Knights it would be the scortching hot bat of Kwiatkowski that brough in Arcadia's sixth inning scores off a single down the right field line, plating seniors Marc Gottfired and Mike McElhatton (2-5, 3 runs).

After the seventh went scoreless by both sides, and the score Etown 12 and Arcadia 7, the Knights showed their grit by tacking on a single run in the eighth off an RBI single down the right field line by sophomore David Jacobs bringing Arcadia to within four of E'town 12-8 lead.

However, the Jays used a lead-off triple to open the bottom of the eighth and quickly loaded the bases to begin their three-run inning. The triple from E'town's Tm Rossler would be their only hit of the frame, as they capitalized on a walk, hit by pitch (HBP), wild pitch and sacrafice fly from Dillon Tagle to retain a 15-8 lead.

Facing a 7 run deficit in their final at-bat, Arcadia went right to work. First Year Tom Wagner took first on HBP and moved to second on a single to right field from McElhatton. Loading the bases was sophomore Brian Innella on a single to center setting the stage for senior Mark Bowman. Bowman would reach on an errror by the E'town second basemen to bring in Wagner follwed by a sacrafice fly to center from senior Kyle Jackson, bringing McElhatton home for a 15-10 score. But it would end there with a ground out an fly out and five-run win for the Jays.

First year Steve Sciortino got the start on the mound for Arcadia, working 3 innings with Guentter entering in relief in the fourth when the Jays made the most noise on offense. Guentter drops to 0-4 on the season. Kwaitkowski pitched two-thirds of an inning, Zehring one and two-thirds and first year Jonah Van Bemmelen working one. Jacobs also saw action from the hill for Arcadia.

E'town's Rob Cressman improved to 3-1 on the year with today's win.

Arcadia looks to get back on track with a road game this Wednesday, March 28 at Immaculata University before opening up their next Commonwealth series hosting Lebabon Valley College on Friday.

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