SCRANTON, Pa. - A year after coming one game short on the same field, the Elizabethtown College baseball team won the program's second Landmark Conference Championship, topping Susquehanna 8-3 Sunday afternoon.

With the win, the Blue Jays move to 22-20 on the season and earn the Landmark's AQ bid for the NCAA Division III Tournament. The River Hawks finish the year 17-25.

Junior Ben Watson was named MVP of the Tournament, finishing the weekend 2-5 with two RBI and a run scored. The Glen Mills, Pa. native racked up eight hits, nine RBI, and five runs scored over the three games to pace the Etown offense. Seniors Eamon McCoubrey and Joey Thomas registered two RBI each, while classmate James Vito finished 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Senior Tyler McGonigle went 1-4 with a run scored, giving him 100 its for his career.

Senior Adam Schreck led the Susquehanna offense, going 2-5 with a double, a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.

After falling behind 2-0 in the top of the first, the Blue Jays bounced back in the bottom of the first with five runs of their own. With two outs and runners on first and second, Vito single to center field, plating Watson and cutting the deficit to one. One batter later, McCoubrey stepped in and matched Vito with a single to center of his own, scoring senior Robbie Bertucio and tying the score at two. Two batters later with the bases loaded, junior Justin Wetzel earned a walk, plating Vito and giving Etown the 3-2 lead. Thomas then completed the inning with a two-run single, scoring sophomore AJ Bednar and McCoubrey, making the score 5-2 after one.

The Etown pitching battled all day start with graduate student Joseph Sarich in the top of the second. With runners on second and third and one out, Sarich locked in and struck out the next two batters to squash the early rally. Two innings later, senior Eric Sipling entered in relief with the bases loaded two outs and the score at 5-3. Sipling promptly struck out Schreck to keep the Blue Jays advantage at two and end another River Hawks' rally.

After a sacrifice fly in the sixth by McCoubrey made the score 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh, Watson gave Etown the insurance they need in the seventh, slashing a single to center field, plating graduate student Andrew Fisher and McGonigle and making the score 8-3 headed to the ninth.

Junior Zach Silfies closed things out in the top of the ninth, striking out three of the four batters he face swinging, punching the Blue Jays' ticket to the NCAA Tournament with the 8-3 win.

Sarich got the game three start, allowing three runs on three hits and struck out five in 3.2 innings of work. Sipling (6-1) registered his sixth win of the season in relief, allowing no runs on two hits and struck out four. Silfies then tallied his third save of the season, no-hitting Susquehanna over the final 1.2 innings with four strikeouts.

Sophomore Aidan Martin (1-3) took the loss, allowing six earned runs on seven hits and struck out one.

Elizabethtown will learn its next opponent tomorrow at 12 p.m. during the NCAA Selection Show