ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- Sophomore outfielder James Kantner blasted a 3-run home run in game one and hit a walk-off 2-run single in the nightcap, lifting Elizabethtown to a huge sweep of Catholic, 11-2 and 4-3, Friday afternoon at Kevin Scott Boyd Stadium.

GAME 1
Elizabethtown 11, Catholic 2

Catholic brought the nation's 23rd best team earned run average (3.24) into Friday's doubleheader and were receiving votes in the most recent NBWCA/D3Baseball.com and Collegiate Baseball polls, but the Blue Jays showed they were not intimidated.

Elizabethtown pounded out 12 hits and broke away with a 5-run sixth that featured James Kantner's second career homer to win the opener 11-2.

The Cardinals grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third on Brett Padula's RBI single, but E-town countered with two in the bottom of the inning to take its first lead of the day.

CUA pitcher Ross Dean had the unenvious task of facing Blue Jays' leading hitter Kyle Fackler with less than two outs and a runner 90 feet from home. The visiting freshman showed poise well above his years, however, getting Fackler to offer at a 1-2 pitch for the second out of the inning.

Thinking the worst was behind him, Dean served up an RBI triple to the next batter, center fielder Richy Masciarelli, that scored Anthony Knight. Colby Smith then delivered a 2-out RBI single to push the Jays out in front.

Fackler got his revenge an inning later, dropping a single in front of a diving Padula in center to score Knight for the second time and give Elizabethtown a 3-1 lead.

Catholic got within 3-2 in the top of the fifth, but the Blue Jays exploded for eight runs in the next two innings to put the game out of reach.

In the bottom of the fifth, Frank Ragozzino singled home Smith and Anthony Knight drove a 2-run single to left.

Smith started the scoring in the sixth with a 2-run single, before Kantner drilled Eric Moore's 2-2 pitch onto the hill in right for further insurance.

With the home team comfortably ahead, head coach Cliff Smith opted to save his bullpen and reward starting pitcher Mike Garvey with a few more innings.

Garvey had already given the Jays exactly what they needed to that point. He retired the side in order in the first two innings, gave up just four hits through four frames and carried a 3-1 lead to the fifth.

The choice to stick with Garvey paid off as the second-year hurler from New Jersey looked reinvigorated with the extra run support. Garvey dismissed the Cardinals in order in the sixth and gave up just one more hit in the seventh for his second win of the year --both via complete games.

Masciarelli's jump back into the two hole resulted in the Pottstown native going 2 for 4 with two runs scored, an RBI and his league-leading 15th stolen base.

Smith was 3 for 3 with three runs driven in and two runs scored, while Nick Lorenz and Knight each collected two hits and two runs scored. Knight also swiped two bags.

Catholic's 11 runs allowed were a season-high. Dean allowed three (two earned) in four innings to take the loss.


GAME 2
Elizabethtown 4, Catholic 3

In the unlikeliest of scenarios, Elizabethtown tagged the Landmark's top closer, Joseph Salzano, for four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to win it and leap to the top of the conference standings.

Salzano's numbers were pristine coming in. He led the league with seven saves and had only allowed four earned runs in 19.1 innings.

The Blue Jays (16-8, 5-2 Landmark) doubled that with an unbelievable rally that included a pair of clutch two-out hits from Nick Bein and James Kantner.

Kyle Fackler and Richy Masciarelli pieced together back-to-back one-out singles, but when Colby Smith just missed beating out a grounder to short, the Blue Jays still trailed 3-0 and were down to their final out.

Enter Bein, the first of two heroes in game two.

Not only were the Jays one out away from defeat, the sophomore from Abington was down to his final strike before slapping a ball off the chalk and down the line in right to score Fackler and Masciarelli.

Freshman first baseman Tom Armstrong, who came on in the third when Frank Ragozzino was bowled over and forced to leave following a strange play, was hit with Salzano's 0-1 pitch. It was Salzano's second hit batter of the inning and loaded the bases.

Kantner bided his time before slicing a ball past the outstretched glove of second baseman Jack Hennessy into right center field that scored Nick Lorenz and Bein with the game-tying and game-winning runs.

Salzano's ERA jumped nearly two runs to 3.60 as the Blue Jays mobbed Kantner out near first base.

Elizabethtown had its chances against Catholic (21-8, 9-4) starter Jon Mierzwa, but came up empty through five innings.

Mierzwa, the Landmark leader in strikeouts, added six to his ledger while walking three and allowing five hits.

The Blue Jays had the bases loaded against Mierzwa in the second, but shortstop Connor Cozad snared Anthony Cameron's liner and flipped to Hennessy for an inning-ending double play.

E-town got runners to third in the third and fifth innings, but Mierzwa got Bein swinging to end each inning and keep the Jays off the board.

Jared Witner got the start for the hosts and gave up three runs on seven hits in three innings to take a no decision. Andrew Brndjar and Braden Stinar were excellent in relief, combining for four scoreless innings.

Brndjar struck out three in 2.2 innings. Stinar got the final four outs and was the beneficiary of E-town's seventh-inning rally, picking up his fifth win of 2017.

Fackler and Kantner each had two hits, while Bein and Kantner led the way with two RBI.

Hennessy, Danny O'Hagan and Connor Sullivan hit safely twice for the Cardinals.


ON DECK
Elizabethtown and Catholic put a wrap on this weekend's three-game series Saturday at noon.