ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – The pitching staff did its job, now the hitters needed to do theirs. Elizabethtown held defending Commonwealth Conference champion Alvernia to eight runs over three games and finally got some timely hits to snag the final game of the weekend series, 3-2, Sunday afternoon at Kevin Scott Boyd Stadium. The Crusaders, behind a dominant outing from Mike Weinhold, won game one 2-0.
Kyle Fackler and Sean Jones hit first inning doubles down the right field line against Alvernia's game two starter Steve Price. Jones' drove in Fackler for a 1-0 lead, Elizabethtown's (10-10, 4-6 CC) second 1-0 lead of the series.
The Crusaders (16-6, 9-3 CC) came right back in the top of the second, putting two men on courtesy of an error and a Dustin Arnold single. Dustin Stuck brought them both home with a two-bagger to the gap in right center.
Fackler, the Jays' freshman second baseman, was at the center of his team's scoring again in the bottom of the second. This time he laced a ball into center that scored Dylan Manning from second and tied the game at two.
Kristopher Davis steadied after the two-run second, though both runs against him were unearned. He shutout the hot-hitting Crusaders over the remaining five innings, doing so with the help of some tremendous defensive plays.
Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Kyle Gable led off with a single to short and advanced to second on Luke Gatti's groundout to first. Tyler Weary's two-out single through the left side was enough to score Gable with the go-ahead run.
The junior from Gardners then made a strong defensive play to end the sixth, snagging Rory Clemens' grounder and beating Joe Iacobellis to the bag at third.
Weary and Fackler each had two hits in game two, as the Blue Jays outhit the Crusaders 9-8 and got the win they sorely needed after dropping the opener 4-1 Saturday and the early game 2-0 Sunday.
Davis struck out one and did not walk a batter in his throwing his third straight complete game. He has not allowed an earned run over his last 20.1 innings.
Weinhold and Stuck collected a pair of hits for Alvernia, which also got seven strikeouts from Steve Price in a complete game loss.
Sunday's early game showcased two of the conference's best pitchers in Alvernia's established senior Weinhold and E-town's up-and-comer Zack Tomasko.
The two hurlers took turns firing darts, as they combined for 20 strikeouts. Weinhold got nine of his first 12 outs on strikeouts, while Tomasko gradually pieced his together before striking out the side in the fourth.
The Crusaders went ahead 1-0 in the third when Brok Martin's hit to third was misplayed allowing Iacobellis to score. Chris Burns added an insurance run with an RBI double in the seventh.
Weinhold, a D3baseball.com Preseason All-America Honorable Mention pick and Baseball America's Division III No. 5 overall prospect for the 2014 draft, struck out a season-high 13, the third time he's punched out 10 or more in a game this spring.
Though he did it with precise command, walking only one, the Blue Jays had their chances to spoil his spotless day. Gable doubled in the bottom of the first and then stole third for his 70th career stolen base, which moved him into sole possession of third place in program history.
Weinhold would mow down Aaron Rahn and Gatti to end the inning.
E-town had runners in scoring position in the third, fourth, sixth and seventh innings, but a key hit eluded the Blue Jays each time.
Next up is a visit from No. 17 Shenandoah Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. The Hornets have been nationally ranked every time the Blue Jays have faced them in the last four seasons.
