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ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – The way balls are exploding off freshman Kyle Fackler's bat these days, he's got to be swinging a stick of dynamite. Fackler extended his hitting streak to 12 games with his fifth consecutive multi-hit performance in Elizabethtown's 10-8 non-league win over Franklin & Marshall Wednesday afternoon.
Fackler's taken over the team lead in batting average (.389) and runs scored (27) during the streak. With another two hits and three more runs scored Wednesday, the Harrisburg native has 11 of each over the Blue Jays' (17-16) last five contests.
Elizabethtown scored four unearned runs against F&M freshman Luke Bengel, who was making his first career start, in the second inning and brought three across in the third for a 7-1 lead.
Alex Holbert started the scoring with an RBI double, Parke Martin was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Luke Gatti delivered a two-run single in the Jays' three-run second. Holbert and Fackler knocked in runs in the third before another error led to E-town's seventh run of the day.
Nick Gulla went five innings allowing eight hits and four runs. He ran into trouble in the fourth when he served up a two-run double to Ryan Obrecht and an RBI single to Sam Gladstone. Gulla struck out two in evening his record at 3-3 on the year.
The Blue Jays' offense struck again in the fifth on Gable's RBI single. Frank Canuso plated a pair with a single into center in the sixth to increase Elizabethtown's lead to 10-4.
Fackler was 2-for-3 against the Diplomats (13-21), but also walked three times. In his last five games he's hitting .611 and overall during the 12-game hitting streak he's gone 21-for-45 (.467) with 20 runs scored and a stellar .547 on base percentage.
Aaron Rahn had two hits in four plate appearances and scored a couple of runs, as E-town won for the third time in as many days. Holbert, Canuso and Gatti all finished with two RBIs.
Franklin & Marshall made it interesting with four runs in the seventh, the big hit a pinch-hit bases-clearing double by David Iacobucci, but Richy Masciarelli got Josh Kwak out of a jam by finishing the seventh and breezing through the eighth without further problems. Sean Jones secured his fourth save of the year with a perfect ninth.
Though 0-for-4 at the plate against the Dips, Tyler Weary turned in the defensive play of the game on Casey Bulik's hard hit ball in the top of the eighth. Weary, having moved to the outfield from third base earlier in the game, made a diving catch on the gravel warning track in deep left field to rob Bulik of extra bases.
Bengel took the loss with seven runs allowed in three innings, but only two of those were charged to him. The Diplomats used four other pitchers to eat up the remaining five innings.
Elizabethtown now gets ready for its make-or-break Commonwealth Conference series with Lebanon Valley beginning Friday in Annville at 3:30 p.m. The Blue Jays must sweep the Dutchmen and have Stevenson win one game against Albright to reach the postseason.
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – The way balls are exploding off freshman Kyle Fackler's bat these days, he's got to be swinging a stick of dynamite. Fackler extended his hitting streak to 12 games with his fifth consecutive multi-hit performance in Elizabethtown's 10-8 non-league win over Franklin & Marshall Wednesday afternoon.
Fackler's taken over the team lead in batting average (.389) and runs scored (27) during the streak. With another two hits and three more runs scored Wednesday, the Harrisburg native has 11 of each over the Blue Jays' (17-16) last five contests.
Elizabethtown scored four unearned runs against F&M freshman Luke Bengel, who was making his first career start, in the second inning and brought three across in the third for a 7-1 lead.
Alex Holbert started the scoring with an RBI double, Parke Martin was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Luke Gatti delivered a two-run single in the Jays' three-run second. Holbert and Fackler knocked in runs in the third before another error led to E-town's seventh run of the day.
Nick Gulla went five innings allowing eight hits and four runs. He ran into trouble in the fourth when he served up a two-run double to Ryan Obrecht and an RBI single to Sam Gladstone. Gulla struck out two in evening his record at 3-3 on the year.
The Blue Jays' offense struck again in the fifth on Gable's RBI single. Frank Canuso plated a pair with a single into center in the sixth to increase Elizabethtown's lead to 10-4.
Fackler was 2-for-3 against the Diplomats (13-21), but also walked three times. In his last five games he's hitting .611 and overall during the 12-game hitting streak he's gone 21-for-45 (.467) with 20 runs scored and a stellar .547 on base percentage.
Aaron Rahn had two hits in four plate appearances and scored a couple of runs, as E-town won for the third time in as many days. Holbert, Canuso and Gatti all finished with two RBIs.
Franklin & Marshall made it interesting with four runs in the seventh, the big hit a pinch-hit bases-clearing double by David Iacobucci, but Richy Masciarelli got Josh Kwak out of a jam by finishing the seventh and breezing through the eighth without further problems. Sean Jones secured his fourth save of the year with a perfect ninth.
Though 0-for-4 at the plate against the Dips, Tyler Weary turned in the defensive play of the game on Casey Bulik's hard hit ball in the top of the eighth. Weary, having moved to the outfield from third base earlier in the game, made a diving catch on the gravel warning track in deep left field to rob Bulik of extra bases.
Bengel took the loss with seven runs allowed in three innings, but only two of those were charged to him. The Diplomats used four other pitchers to eat up the remaining five innings.
Elizabethtown now gets ready for its make-or-break Commonwealth Conference series with Lebanon Valley beginning Friday in Annville at 3:30 p.m. The Blue Jays must sweep the Dutchmen and have Stevenson win one game against Albright to reach the postseason.
