NCAA Game 1
Alvernia, 10, Johns Hopkins, 5
Alvernia used a six-run third inning to defeat Johns Hopkins, 10-5, in the opening game of the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Baseball Championships, Wednesday at PNC Field in Moosic, PA.
Richie Ricciardi and Cody Younker both had three hits to lead the Crusaders while Leon Stimpson had two hits and three RBI.
Chris Ray, Chris Burns and BrianWitkowski all added a pair of hits for Alvernia.
Adam Weiner, Colin McCarthy and Chris Wilhelm all had two hits for the Blue Jays.
Mike Weinhold worked eight innings to earn the win.
The Crusaders took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Ray lined a shot to left field that skipped on the wet grass for a double. After Billy Turner battled back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk, Matt Patterson lined an RBI-single to center.
Hopkins’ Tyler Goldstein induced a double-play to escape further damage.
Weinhold had two of his seven strikeouts in the second innings to reach the 100-strikeout mark for the season.
In the bottom of the second, Ricciardi used an inside-out swing to line a single up the middle and moved to second when Younker was hit by a pitch on a 1-2 count. After both runners moved up on Burns’ sacrifice bunt, Ricciardi came home on a safety squeeze and Witkowski beat the play for a single.
Stimpson lined an 0-2 pitch down the left field line to make it 3-0.
Johns Hopkins got on the board in the top of the fourth when Weiner blooped lead-off single inside right field line and McCarthy followed with opposite field single to right.
Ryan Zakszeski walked to load the bases and Wilhelm grounded a one-out single through the left side.
Kyle Neverman followed with an RBI walk to make it 3-2.
The Crusaders answered with six runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Burns bounced a single up the middle and Witkowski walked before Stimpson lined a two-run double off the left field wall.
Alvernia added runs on an error, fielder’s choice and an infield single before Burns closed the rally with a two-run single to short center field.
Hopkins got one back in the fifth when Weiner singled in the hole with one out and moved to second on McCarthy’s single to right. Lynch blooped a two-out single to right to make it 9-3.
Alvernia responded with a run in the bottom of the sixth when Younker singled through the left side with two outs and eventually scored on Witkowski’s single to right.
After a rain delay, the Blue Jays scored a pair of runs in the top of the ninth. Chris Casey reached on a pinch-hit single to right and moved to second on Mike Kanen’s pinch-hit single to right.
Zakszeski had an RBI-walk and Lynch drove in another run with a sacrifice fly to right.
Alvernia will play the Kean/Penn State-Harrisburg winner, Thursday at 4:30 while Hopkins will face that loser at 10:00 a.m.
