The Albright College baseball team kept its season alive Friday with a rain-shortened 10-2 Commonwealth Conference victory at Stevenson.
The downpour that hit the field could have saved the Lions, who needed to win to stay in the conference playoff race, but Albright was well ahead by that point and had even added to its lead in the seventh before the game was called in the bottom half of the inning.
Since it did not affect the outcome, Max Dundore's run in the top of the seventh still counted for the final score of 10-2.
Junior Jared Neiheiser scattered six and did not walk a man in six innings to pick up the win. The only blemish on his outing was a two-run homer by Ben Hallam in the bottom of the first inning.
Albright racked up 14 hits, led by junior John Medvecky (3-for-4, 2 runs). Classmate Zac Okonski was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run, Dundore went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and scored twice, and yet another junior- Evan High- was also 2-for-4.
Senior Nate Peiffer led off the game with a double, and soon scored on Dylan Boll's single. Gabe Santone plated Medvecky, and Okonski singled to bring Boll around.
The Lions blew the game open with a five-run fifth.
Boll and Santone walked, with Okonski legging out a bunt single to load the bases. Senior Collin Hecker ripped a two-run double, and Dundore singled to bring home two more. Micah Storms hit into a double play but Dundore came home for an 8-2 lead.
Medvecky led off the top of the sixth with a double down the left field line, later scoring on Okonski's sacrifice fly.
Albright did get some bad news from Annville as Lebanon Valley came back from a 2-0 deficit to edge Elizabethtown 3-2 and cut their magic number down to one for the fourth playoff spot.
The Lions (12-14-1, 9-10) will need to sweep Stevenson in a doubleheader tomorrow, and have Elizabethtown take two from Lebanon Valley, in order to qualify for next weekend's Commonwealth championships in York, Pa. The big day begins at noon on Kelchner Field, with seniors Peiffer, Hecker, Peter DeFrancisci, Zach Graham, Seth Heffner and Brian Kurtz also set to be honored before their final home games.