SCRANTON, Pa. – The Elizabethtown College baseball team got the 2021 season off to a hot start, taking two from Scranton, 5-2 and 7-0, Saturday afternoon in Landmark Conference action.

The Blue Jays (2-0) compiled 19 hits between the two games led by senior Andrew Fisher who finished the day with three hits, three runs scored, and two RBI. Senior Michael Rajnik swatted two doubles with two runs scored, while sophomore Ben Watson recorded a triple with two RBI and two runs scored. Freshman AJ Bednar tallied four hits with an RBI and two runs scored.

GAME ONE: ELIZABETHTOWN 5 SCRANTON 2
Etown wasted no time in game one, loading the bases with two outs. Junior Robbie Bertucio then stepped it and brought the Blue Jays' first run across after being hit by a pitch for the early 1-0 advantage.

The Elizabethtown bats continued to stay hot into the second inning as Watson stepped in and smashed a triple to left-center, plating Bednar and Rajnik to push the Blue Jays lead to 3-0. Fisher then brought Watson the rest of the way around with a sacrifice fly to leftfield, securing a four-run advantage for Etown after two innings.

After the Royals managed to get two runs back in the fourth and fifth inning, the Blue Jays added one final insurance run, another sacrifice fly by Fisher, in the sixth and held the home team scoreless the rest of the way, completing the season-opening win, 5-2.

Senior Joe Sarich (1-0) earned the complete-game victory, scattering seven hits over seven innings, allowing two runs, and striking out five.

Sophomore Hunter Ralston (0-1) took the loss, pitching 1.1 innings and giving up four runs on five hits.

GAME TWO: ELIZABETHTOWN 7 SCRANTON 0
With a one-run lead heading into the top of the second, the Blue Jays' came alive for four runs in the second stanza. After two quick outs for the visitor to start the inning, Bednar roped a double to centerfield. He then moved to third on a wild pitch and would come around to score after a throwing error by the catcher, making the score 2-0.

The Blue Jays kept to two-out rally going and two batters later, junior Tyler McGonigle and senior JT Thompsons knocked back-to-back RBI singles to right, pushing Etown's advantage to four (4-0). The visitors completed the inning by taking advantage of one final Scranton miscue with senior Joey Thomas reaching first on a throwing error by the second basemen, scoring McGonigle and giving Elizabethtown the five-run lead heading into the third.

Junior James Vito would score the final two runs of the game for the Blue Jays and Etown wrapped up its first Landmark Conference shutout victory against the Royal, 7-0.

Sophomore Zach Silfies (1-0) scattered two hits over 4.2 innings and struck out two. Senior Reece Jones and Watson completed the shutout, pitching the final 2.1 innings with a strikeout apiece.

Elizabethtown returns home tomorrow, March 21, for the final two games of the series with Scranton. First pitch is set for 12:30 p.m. The first game of the doubleheader will be nine innings while the second will be seven.