Mike Christy Celebration vs. Juniata 4/30/17
Dan Gittis
3
Juniata JUN 6-30, 1-13 Landmark
5
Winner Elizabethtown ETOWN 20-13, 8-6 Landmark
Juniata JUN
6-30, 1-13 Landmark
3
Final
5
Elizabethtown ETOWN
20-13, 8-6 Landmark
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Juniata JUN 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 3 8 1
Elizabethtown ETOWN 1 1 0 0 3 0 X 5 8 0

W: Garvey, Mike (3-2) L: Adam Kipp (0-7) S: Kwak, Josh (4)

3
Juniata JUN 6-31, 1-14 Landmark
4
Winner Elizabethtown ETOWN 21-13, 9-6 Landmark
Juniata JUN
6-31, 1-14 Landmark
3
Final
4
Elizabethtown ETOWN
21-13, 9-6 Landmark
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Juniata JUN 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 3 7 1
Elizabethtown ETOWN 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 8 1

W: Lippy, Anthony (3-2) L: Caleb Pepperday (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Blue Jays sweep Juniata on Christy's walk-off grand slam

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- Down to its final out and final strike, Elizabethtown got its biggest hit of the year when sophomore Mike Christy drove a 1-2 pitch out to left for a walk-off grand slam to win game two, 4-3, Sunday and give the Blue Jays a sweep of Juniata.

Elizabethtown held off the pesky Eagles, 5-3, in game one and thanks to Christy's heroics, the Jays will go into next weekend's makeup series against Drew controlling their postseason destiny.

GAME 1
Elizabethtown 5, Juniata 3

Prior to game one, the Blue Jays took time to honor 2017 seniors Kevin Elwell, Kyle Fackler, Josh Kwak, Richy Masciarelli, Brian Portillo and Frank Ragozzino.

When it was time to get down to business, E-town responded, supporting starting pitcher Mike Garvey with a run in each of the first two innings.

Mike Christy singled home Masciarelli from second in the first and James Kantner drove in Portillo in the second.

Juniata rebounded with six of its eight hits and all three of its runs between the third and fourth innings to take a 3-2 lead.

Chris Schreder's double just inside the bag at third plated two runs to tie the game at two and the Eagles went in front on Austin Suders' RBI single in the fourth.

Garvey got back into the groove to sit the Eagles down in order in the fifth and sixth innings. That allowed Elizabethtown to pull back in front on the strength of a three-run fifth.

Juniata pitcher Adam Kipp got into trouble early in the fifth, issuing a walk to Fackler and a perfectly placed bunt by Masciarelli.

Colby Smith sacrificed his Blue Jay teammates ahead a base, but Christy was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out for Nick Lorenz.

Lorenz saw a pitch he liked early in the count and ripped it to center for a two-run single to put E-town back in front. Ragozzino added an insurance run, scoring Christy on a single to left.

Kwak spelled Garvey with a runner on first and no outs in the top of the seventh, and locked down the Eagles for his fourth save.

Christy and Lorenz were 2 for 3 at the plate. Masciarelli scored twice, walked twice and stole his conference-leading 18th base of the season.

Devin McLaughlin led the Eagles with two hits. Kipp lasted 5.1 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits while striking out four.

Garvey improved to 3-2 on the year with three runs allowed and three strikeouts over six innings.

GAME 2
Elizabethtown 4, Juniata 3

Mike Christy's two-out, two-strike walk-off grand slam off Caleb Pepperday will long be remembered by the sophomore, his teammates and coaches and the more than 200 spectators in attendance at Kevin Scott Boyd Stadium.

Juniata did everything it could to keep the Blue Jays (21-13, 9-6 Landmark) at bay for six innings and put a damper on their playoff hopes.

J.D. Weyant limited Elizabethtown to six hits over the first six innings, but his only two walks both came in the seventh and forced coach Adam Sheibley, the former Blue Jay great, to go to his bullpen.

After allowing Richy Masciarelli's one-out single to load the bases, Pepperday caught Colby Smith looking to put the six-win Eagles (6-31, 1-14) on the brink of a major upset.

Pepperday pounded the strike zone with an off-speed pitch and fastball to Christy, putting the sophomore in an 0-2 hole. He didn't put the third pitch anywhere near the plate, but on the fourth he came inside with disastrous results.

Christy turned on the pitch and belted it beyond the fence in left, setting off a wild celebration from teammates and fans alike in one of the most memorable moments in the program's 85-season history. It's the second time Elizabethtown has rallied from three runs down in their last at-bats to win this season and its fourth walk-off victory.

The Blue Jays' dramatic comeback made a winner out of Anthony Lippy, who was dealing for most of the afternoon. Lippy allowed seven hits and gave up just one earned run in twirling a complete game. The Hanover native also struck out seven, one shy of his career-high.

Masciarelli and James Kantner paced the Jays' offense with two hits apiece in game two and Masciarelli pulled within one stolen base of 20 for the year. E-town hasn't had a player steal 20 bags in a year since Kyle Gable swiped 22 in 2013.

For Juniata, Shane Buss went 2 for 3 and catcher Hunter Price drove in a pair of runs.

The Sunday sweep ensures Elizabethtown can clinch a spot in the Landmark Conference Championship tournament by winning 2 of 3 against Drew next weekend at Boyd Stadium. The Blue Jays would also get in with one win if Moravian falls at Catholic next Saturday in the completion of a suspended game. Moravian holds a 1-0 lead when play resumes in the fifth inning.

UP NEXT
Elizabethtown plays its final regular season non-conference game on Tuesday when it travels to York (Pa.) for a 4 p.m. start.
 
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