SCRANTON, Pa. – The Elizabethtown College baseball team's season came to a close in the final game of the Landmark Conference Championship, falling to Scranton 6-3 Sunday afternoon.
With the loss, the Blue Jays finish the season 17-11 while the Royals improve to 20-9 and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Sophomore Ben Watson finished the game 3-5 with two doubles, a run scored, and an RBI. Junior Joey Thomas was 2-3 with a double and a run scored and senior Arley Shepherd tallied one hit and an RBI.
The Blue Jays got on the board first in the top of the second as Thomas doubled to left field and then advanced to third on a passed ball. Shepherd then stepped in and cracked a single to left field, plating Thomas and giving Etown the early 1-0 advantage.
Scranton, however, answered in the bottom of the third, scoring three unearned runs to move in front, 3-1.
Elizabethtown continued to battle cutting the deficit to one in the top of the sixth. With Watson on third, junior Tyler McGonigle stepped in with one out and grounded out to second, but drove in Watson to make the score 3-2.
After the Royals moved its lead back to two (4-2) in the bottom of the sixth, the Blue Jays answered once again. With runners on second and third, Watson beat out an infield single to the shortstop, plating Bertucio and cutting Scranton's lead in half.
The Royals would not be denied late though, scoring two runs in the bottom of the eighth and then found the final out of the game with the tying run at the plate, taking the Landmark Conference Championship 6-3.
Senior Kelly Holdren (6-1) allowed four runs, one earned, on seven hits and struck out eight. Junior Matt Barton pitched an inning and a third, giving up two runs, one earned, on three hits and striking out two. Senior Joseph Sarich finished the game on the mound, going the final two thirds and allowing no runs and no hits.
Junior Josh Lyndon (4-1) allowed two earned runs on seven hits and struck out two in the winning effort.
Today was the final game for our senior class. Thank you, Kelly Holdren, Andrew Fisher, Evan Ross, Shepherd, Reece Jones, JT Thompson, Dylan Everly, Tyler Dunbar, Collin Slenker, Cory Freedner, Joseph Sarich, and Ethan Henry for everything you have done for the Elizabethtown College baseball program.
