Arcadia Baseball Drops Series Opener to Widener

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA, PA: Arcadia University Baseball saw its early 4-0 lead vanish at the hands of visiting Widener University whose offense picked up in the third inning as the Pride went on to defeat the Knights 9-5 in today's Commonwealth Conference series opener at Erny Field. The Pride held Arcadia scoreless following the third inning, tied the game at 5-all with a fifth inning solo home run before pulling away from the Knights in the late innings.

Both teams remain in the hunt for one of four available play-off spots, currently deadlocked at 5-5 in conference play with the series doubleheader to be played this Saturday, April 7 at Widener.

Arcadia's Jonnah Van Bemmelen '15 (0-1) was credited with today's loss in two and a third innings pitched allowing 3 runs behind 2 hits and a walk (2 K).

Robert Barth (2-1) got the win in relief for the Pride (12-13 overall) holding the Knights (11-14 overall) scoreless on 6 hits (3 K).

Kyle Jackson '12 (3-5, 2 runs, RBI) and Mike McElhatton '12 (3-1, 1 run) led Arcadia's offense with 3 hits apeice while Brandon Martin '14 drove in 2 runs on 2-4 at the plate.

Dan Sieracki paced the Pride on 2-4 with two home runs and 4 RBI.

Arcadia attacked Widener starter Joe Sessa early and were rewarded with a one run lead after one. Jackson led off the first with a single to right field and was brought home by a ground out from Smith.

The Knights used a swift double play, one of two this afternoon, to escape the top of two. Then added three more scores to their total in the home half, to claim a 4-0 advantage. With two outs away, McElhatton provided the spark to light the fuse on a double to right, scoring on a RBI single from Jackson to make it a 2-0 Knight's lead. Martin ripped a triple, sneaking it just inside the right field line to drive in two more Arcadia scores and a 4-0 Knights lead on the board.

The Pride regrouped for the top of three, playing out much like Arcadia's inning prior, with run production coming after a two-out count. Widener followed up a pair of singles with a home run over the heart of the center field fence by Sieracki allowing Arcadia just a one-run lead, 4-3.

The Knights got one of those back in the bottom of three. David Jacobs' 14 worked his way around the bags off a single to right field and would be brought home by a Jay Zehring '14 two-out single putting Arcadia back ahead 5-3.

Widener then countered with a one-run fourth and Sieracki would stick another ball over the fence, this time to left field to lock the game at 5-all in the top of five.

The Knights would face Widener reliever Barth from the fourth inning on, with today's winning pitcher scattering 6 hits the rest of the way, allowing none of them to transpire into scoring for Arcadia. Barth got run support from his offense with two runs in the seventh and two in the eighth helping his Pride to come from behind to take a 1-0 series lead back to Chester for Saturday's series doubleheader.

Saturday's opening tilt is set for a 12 Noon start.

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