ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.-- The Elizabethtown College baseball team took two from visiting Juniata, Sunday afternoon as the Blue Jays opened up Landmark Conference play. The Blue Jays won, 7-3, 13-3 in the doubleheader.
With the two wins, the Blue Jays improve to 11-5 on the year and 2-0 in the Landmark, while the Eagles fall to 2-11 and 0-2 in Landmark play.
GAME ONE: ELIZABETHTOWN 7, JUNIATA 3
Elizabethtown was slow to start as Juniata put up two runs in the first two innings.
Tyler McGonigle led off the fourth with a single to left center.
Robbie Bertucio doubled through the left side to send home McGonigle. In the fifth, Etown took a 3-2 lead.
AJ Bednar tied up the game, 2-2 after he smacked a homerun to left field. With
Garrett Schwartzbeck on second base,
David Woolley hit a single and advanced on the throw, scoring Schwartzbeck.
Etown kept rolling in the sixth as they tacked on two more runs.
Quinten Perilli got on base with a single up the middle, advanced, stole third and then scored on a throwing error. Bednar hit a sacrifice fly to left field to bring
James Vito across home plate. In the seventh, the Blue Jays again added two more runs, extending their lead to, 7-2. Bertucio singled to shortstop followed by a
Ben Watson double through the left side to score Bertucio. Perilli then switched with Watson as he doubled to center field to score another run. The Eagles scored their final run in the eighth off an RBI single to left field.
Nicholas Ortega picked up his third win of the season on the mound as he pitched six innings, totaling four strikeouts.
Bednar went 3-3 with one run scored, two RBIs, a double, and a homerun. Bertucio went 2-4 with a run, a RBI, and a double.
GAME TWO: ELIZABETHTOWN 13, JUNIATA 3
Game two saw another slow start for the Blue Jays as Juniata put up two runs in the third before the Blue Jays got on the board in the fifth.
Justin Wetzel singled to third base, then Schwartzbeck knocked a homerun through the left side for two RBIs. The Blue Jays bats were explosive in the sixth as they scored seven runs on six hits. After allowing four Etown runs, the Blue Jays forced a pitcher to retire with two outs.
Chance Montgomery hit up the middle for a RBI single bringing Etown's lead, 3-2. Montomgery then scored as Woolley was walked with the bases loaded. Bertucio and Watson each singled to bring in three more Blue Jay runs. Elizabethtown led, 7-2 before Juniata switched pitchers with two outs. Perilli singled to left center to score Bertucio. Watson ended the inning scoring on a wild pitch.
Elizabethtown added two more runs in the seventh as Bertucio hit a RBI single to third base and Watson hit a sacrifice fly to right field. After eight innings, Etown led, 11-3 as the Eagles scored a run in the top of the eighth. The Blue Jays weren't quite finished yet as they scored two more in the eighth to win, 13-3.
Perilli went 3-5 with one run and a RBI. Schwartzbeck went 3-3 with three runs scored, two RBIs and a homerun.
Greg Zerbe picked up his third win of the season as he pitched six innings, striking out seven for a career-high
The Elizabethtown and Juniata series will end on Tuesday, March 28th at 3PM.
