APRIL 17, 2016
KING'S BASEBALL SPLITS AT DESALES
CENTER VALLEY, PA --- The King's College baseball team split a doubleheader with conference foe DeSales University on Sunday at Butz Field in Center Valley. The Monarchs' seventh inning rally fell short in a 6-5 game one loss before taking the nightcap 5-3.
The Monarchs are now 18-8 overall and 8-5 in the conference while DeSales is 18-12 overall and 10-5 in the MAC Freedom. The split enables the Bulldogs to win the season series from the Monarchs after winning the first game of the series 11-2 back on March 24th. The win for the Monarchs is their first over DeSales since the 2013 season and the first win in Center Valley since the 2011 season.
In game one King's got on the board in the first inning when Kyle Lupas hit into a fielder's choice with runners on first and second. The Bulldogs got the out at second and then the relay throw to first was overthrown resulting in an error allowing Chris Rebar to give the Monarchs the early 1-0 lead. DeSales responded in the bottom half of the inning with four runs on three hits to take a 4-1 lead.
King's cut into the lead in the fourth inning when Brad Wilkins singled down the right field line to score Lupas. Tyler Reynolds then hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Christian Pack to cut the lead to 4-3. However the Bulldogs were able to score once in the fourth and once in the fifth to take a 6-3 lead.
In the seventh inning King's loaded the bases with no outs when Reynolds and Dan Hartson walked followed by Tom Gibbons hitting an infield single to the pitcher. Chris Rebar then knocked in two runs with a single to left center and advanced to third on the throw home. After Bruce Breithaupt fouled out to the third baseman for the first out of the inning Lupas was intentionally walked to load the bases. The Bulldogs were able to get Sean Padden to strikeout and Pack to ground out to first to end the game.
The Monarchs got hits from seven different players while Rebar had two RBIs and Wilkins and Reynolds had one each. John Wickiser pitched a complete game on the mound allowing six runs, four earned, on nine hits with two strikeouts and one walk. After a big first inning for the Bulldogs Wickiser was able to settle down and only allowed six hits in the remaining five innings of work.
In the nightcap King's scored four runs in the second inning on four hits. Padden led off the inning with a home run down the left field line. After Pack doubled to right, Nick Trivigino reached on a throwing error by the Bulldog pitcher on a sacrifice bunt. Ryan Hydock then knocked in Pack on a groundout to first. Sean McKee doubled to score Trivigino. Later in the inning Breithaupt singled up the middle to score McKee with the Monarchs' fourth run.
Both teams were unable to score until DeSales got three runs in the sixth inning on five hits to cut the Monarch lead to 4-3. King's got an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Breithaupt hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Gibbons. Chris Marconi set the Bulldogs down in order in the bottom of the inning to record his first collegiate save.
Padden went 3-3 in the second game with an RBI and a run scored. Rebar had two hits and a walk in his three plate appearances while Breithaupt had two RBIs. Dan Hartson pitched 5.2 innings in his first career start to record his first career win. He allowed three runs on five hits with four walks and two strikeouts. Marconi got the final four outs of the game to record the save.
In the two games Chris Rebar, Sean Padden, and Christian Pack had three hits each. Padden hit his seventh home run of the year. Bruce Breithaupt and Tom Gibbons had two hits each while Tyler Reynolds, Sean McKee, Brad Wilkins, and Kyle Lupas had a hit each.
The Monarchs will return to the field on Wednesday when they host Summit University at Lipo Field at 4:00 p.m. With eight games remaining in the conference schedule the Monarchs stand in third place with a big three-game series coming up on Friday and Saturday against local rival and MAC Freedom leader Misericordia University. The Cougars are two games ahead of the Monarchs in the standings. DeSales is second a game head of King's while Manhattanville is fourth a game behind the Monarchs.