The Elizabethtown College baseball team headed over to Williamsport, Pa. to take on their Landmark Conference opponent in Lycoming College over the weekend. After a successful Florida campaign, the Blue Jays were hoping to carry the momentum into their first games back in Pennsylvania.
Lycoming entered the weekend series with a record of 7-6, recently winning three of their four games against SUNY Polytechnic Institute and losing their last game against Johns Hopkins University. The Blue Jays have had their last couple of games cancelled due to poor weather, however, they finally get an opportunity to for the first time in almost two weeks.
The Warriors jumped out to a hot start, with a two-run home run in the first inning to give Lycoming an early lead. The Blue Jays rallied back as senior shortstop David Woolley scored after senior outfielder Mason Woolwine grounded out and sophomore first baseman Jake Ruple scored off of a double by senior third baseman Alex Perrin.
Lycoming found another opportunity, hitting their second home run of the game to expand the lead to three heading into the ninth inning. Etown needed to find their spark and a solo home run by Perrin gave the Blue Jays enough momentum to continue to pour on runs.
After back-to-back singles by junior catcher Tommy Kanakos and Ruple, sophomore outfielder Nick Fiorini belted a pitch into the seats, scoring all three runs, and giving the Blue Jays a one run lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. Sophomore pitcher Paul Kvech came into the game and shut down the Warriors, securing the 8-7 victory by the Blue Jays. Ruple led the Blue Jays batting 3-4 with two runs while Fiorini bat 2-4 with three RBIs and one run. Junior pitcher Max Polon picked up the win and Kvech got his first save of the season.
The Blue Jays started their second game similarly to the first, giving up a run off a double play with the bases loaded. Etown flipped the script in the second inning as Ruple hit an RBI single to score Kanakos and Woolley hit a sacrifice fly to score Ruple, giving Etown a 2-1 lead.
Etown added some insurance runs in the third with Kanakos hitting a two-RBI single to give the Blue Jays a three-run lead. A failed pickoff attempt in the third gave the Warriors a chance to cover some ground on the Blue Jay lead, scoring an unearned run. Solid pitching from both teams highlighted the rest of the contest, with the only run coming from a RBI double by the Warriors in the eighth inning.
Etown held on, defeating Lycoming with a close 4-3 victory. Etown had a solid hitting day, with everyone picking up a hit in the win. Junior pitcher Logan Burns picked up the win after pitching six innings, allowing one run and three hits while racking up five strikeouts. Sophomore pitcher Corey Rible picked up the save after pitching two innings and allowing one run.
Etown played their final game of the weekend on Sunday morning. Lycoming started the game off strong, scoring three runs in the first two innings of the game. Etown was able to claw back, closing the gap to a run after a two-RBI single by junior catcher Griffin Patridge scored both senior second baseman Alex McClain and sophomore outfielder Sawyer Martin.
The Blue Jays tied the game up at 3-3 after sophomore first baseman AJ Lipscomb scored Patridge on an RBI single.
Heading into the ninth inning, the Blue Jays caught fire, scoring six runs to put a sizable lead on the Warriors. A grand slam by Fiorini capped off the performance to give the Blue Jays their lead and was immediately ejected after flipping his bat when he got to first base.
Despite the ejection, the Blue Jays were able to pull off the win by shutting down Lycoming in the bottom of the ninth, defeating the Warriors 9-3. Kvech picked up the win after throwing two scoreless innings with only two hits. Fiorini finished the game 1-4 with four RBIs and Lipscomb went 2-5 with two RBIs.
The Blue Jays will play their first home contest of the season against Hood College on Mar. 25.
