MARCH 16, 2016
KING'S BASEBALL SWEEPS EASTERN
WILKES-BARRE -- Bruce Beithaupt delivered a run-scoring single in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the King's College baseball team a 5-4 victory and a doubleheader sweep over visiting Eastern University in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday at Lipo Field. The Monarchs won the first game 7-2.
With the wins, King's improved to 17-7 overall and 7-4 in Freedom Conference play while Eastern slipped to 10-14 and 4-7 in league games.
In the opener the Monarchs trailed 2-0 but scored a run in each of the second and third innings. In the second inning Christian Pack singled and later scored from third on an attempted steal at second base. In the third inning Zack Godfrey singled and, three batters later, scored from third on a base hit by Breithaupt.
The Monarchs added two more in the fifth when Tom Gibbons walked and scored on a Chris Rebar double. Kyle Lupas would later stroke a RBI single to plate Rebar.
The Monarchs pushed across three more in the sixth when Godfrey walked and moved to third on a Rebar base hit. After a walk to Breithaupt loaded the bases, Sean Padden followed with a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 5-2. Lupas then smacked a two-run double to set the final score.
Rebar was 2-for-4 with two runs and a RBI. Lupas was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI. Breithaupt finished 2-for-3 with a run and RBI. Pack chipped in with two base hits.Andrew Fisher was the complete-game winner on the hill for King's, scattering six hits and striking out seven batters.
In the nightcap, King's took a 2-0 lead in the first when Rebar reached base on an error and moved to third on a double by Breithaupt. Lupas then came through with a two-out double to get the Monarchs on the board.
The Monarchs added two more in the third o the strength of a RBI single from Pack and a sacrifice fly by Brad Wilkins. Eastern would tie the game with two runs in the top of the seventh inning but the Monarchs would not be denied in the bottom of the frame.
Monarch pinch hitter Tyler Reynolds singled and Gibbons drew a walk. Two batters later Breithaupt drilled a shot to the right centerfield gap to bring home pinch runner Sean McKee with the winning run.
Breithaupt went 3-for-3 with two runs and the game-winning RBI. Pack was 2-for-3 while Lupas finished 1-for-2 with two RBI. Jared Smigelski was the winning pitcher in relief for King's, tossing one-third of an inning as a replacement for starter Nick Deno. Deno left the gamer with two out in the seventh after yielding seven hits and three earned runs with four strikeouts.
King's will travel to DeSales Sunday to play a make-up doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. in Center Valley.