Elizabethtown College baseball had a tough task on their hands, with #8 ranked Salisbury University coming to town to take on the Blue Jays in a doubleheader Saturday, March 29. The Sea Gulls had only lost four games up to this point, while Etown hoped to continue winning after a tight 8-7 victory against Moravian University in their previous game. Sophomore pitcher Joey Smith got the nod for the start in game one, sporting a 3.93 ERA over three starts in the season.
Salisbury started the game with two quick runs early, with Smith hitting two batters and both runs coming in to score off an error on a pickoff attempt to first base. The Blue Jays equalized the score, with first-year first baseman AJ Lipscomb driving in two RBIs off a single to center field. The scoring quickly halted, with both pitchers producing two shutdown innings. The Sea Gulls got the lead back off of a single to the shortstop, which brought the runner from third home to bring the score to 3-2. Smith was taken out of the game at the end of the fourth inning, bringing in sophomore pitcher Logan Burns, who gave up two runs on a single and two doubles by Salisbury, extending the lead to 5-2. Etown capitalized off the pitching change for the Sea Gulls, rallying back to tie the game at five all off of doubles from junior utility Quinten Perilli and first-year outfielder Sawyer Martin. Both teams kept the game tight, with only Salisbury threatening to break the game open with two on base in the top of the eighth inning, however, Etown held on to the tie heading into extra innings. Blue Jay first-year pitcher Paul Kvesh hit two batters in the tenth and from a double and a single from Salisbury, the Sea Gulls took a 9-5 lead, giving Etown one final chance at taking the win. Senior first baseman RJ Agriss knocked a double into the outfield, giving the Blue Jays life, but Salisbury held on winning 9-5 in extra innings.
In the second game, senior pitcher Kyle Mulville took the mound, wanting to split the matchup against Salisbury. Mulville started strong, leaving the Sea Gulls hitless through the first three innings. Salisbury notched the first two runs on the board after an error by Etown and a sacrifice fly brought in the runs. Etown struggled early, gathering seven hits, but not scoring a run through the first five innings. The Sea Gulls weren’t done scoring yet, adding on three more runs off a solo home run to left-center field, a sacrifice bunt that became a single, and a balk by the Etown pitcher. Salisbury tacked on two more runs in the seventh, with a two-RBI single extending the lead to 7-0. Etown wasn’t done yet, with a huge four-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning pulling them back into the game, off of a two-RBI single by Perilli and a two-run home run by junior outfielder Mason Woolwine to left-center field. The home runs kept coming, with Salisbury answering the Blue Jay home run with one of their own, knocking a three-run home run out of the park to left field. Etown brought the deficit back to four off of a double by junior infielder David Woolley to bring the score to 10-6. The Blue Jays stranded Salisbury with the bases loaded in the ninth, leaving them one last shot at the win. Etown struck out twice and grounded out in the bottom of the ninth, giving Salisbury the win with a score of 10-6.
Kvech earned the loss in the first game of the doubleheader, after allowing his first earned runs of the season, bringing his ERA to 2.08. Mulville earned his second loss of the season in the second game, increasing his ERA to 4.88 on the season. Woolwine knocked the lone home run for Etown over the fence, being his first home run of the season and finishing game two batting 3-for-5. The Blue Jays will play their next home game against York College on April 8 and against Moravian University on April 9.
