BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Freshman Nick Lorenz blasted a pair of solo home runs and drove in five runs as Elizabethtown forced a decisive third game with Moravian in its Landmark Conference semifinal series by winning game two, 7-4, Saturday afternoon. The Greyhounds won the opener, 3-2.
GAME 1
E-town Lineup: 1. Fackler 2b, 2. Holbert cf, 3. Weary lf, 4. Gatti 1b, 5. Smith dh, 6. Lorenz 3b, 7. Rahn rf, 8. Ragozzino c, 9. Kibler ss, SP Davis
Moravian Lineup: 1. Case ss, 2. Luke dh, 3. Hanson rf, 4. Savite 1b, 5. Pilchman lf, 6. Bull 3b, 7. Roethke c, 8. Longernecker 2b, 9. Gaetaniello cf, SP Morrin
Moravian gained the upper hand in game one on some late-game drama, as Colin Case tripled with one out in the eighth and scored the go-ahead run on Ryan Luke's sac bunt.
Dan Morrin closed the door on E-town in the ninth for his fifth win, while sending Blue Jay ace Kristopher Davis to his first loss of the season (7-1). Both pitchers went the distance, allowing just 18 hits and one walk between them.
The Greyhounds built a 2-0 lead with runs in the first and third frames, before Elizabethtown answered with two in the sixth to tie it.
Senior first baseman Luke Gatti, 3-for-4 in game one, followed singles by Alex Holbert and Tyler Weary with one of his own, taking Morrin to center field and scoring Holbert with the Jays' first run of the afternoon.
Elizabethtown took a page out of Moravian's book when the very next batter, Colby Smith, laid down an RBI sac bunt to tie the game. The Blue Jays could not build on its breakthrough inning, though, as Morrin limited them to two hits over the final three innings.
Davis struck out three and allowed three earned runs on nine hits. He did not walk a batter for the fifth time in eight starts, but Morrin, gave up two runs on nine hits and struck out five to outduel him.
Weary went 2-for-3 for the third-seeded Blue Jays and had their only extra base hit of the game with a fourth-inning double that led off the inning.
Kyle Fackler, Holbert, Aaron Rahn and Frank Ragozzino each had a hit for the Blue and Gray.
GAME 2
E-town Lineup: 1. Fackler 2b, 2. Holbert cf, 3. Weary lf, 4. Gatti 1b, 5. Smith dh, 6. Lorenz 3b, 7. Rahn rf, 8. Canuso c, 9. Kibler ss, SP Elwell
Moravian Lineup: 1. Case ss, 2. Luke dh, 3. Hanson rf, 4. Savite 1b, 5. Pilchman lf, 6. Bull 3b, 7. Roethke c, 8. Longernecker 2b, 9. Gaetaniello cf, SP Kahn
With Elizabethtown's season hanging in the balance, Lorenz belted two home runs and drove in five runs to keep the Blue Jays alive.
Lorenz took Moravian (19-18) starter Ryan Kahn deep in the fourth to bring the Jays within 3-2, and then replicated the feat to tie the game two innings later.
In the top of the seventh, E-town (25-15) paid for its reward, as Holbert and Smith were both hit by pitches in a three-run inning that gave the visitors a 6-3 lead. Smith's hit by pitch brought in Fackler with the go-ahead run and Lorenz added insurance with a two-run single through the hole between first and second for his third and fourth RBIs of the game.
Though Moravian got a solo shot from Ryan Luke in the bottom of the inning to cut the Blue Jay lead to two, the Greyhounds would get no closer. Kevin Elwell went 4.1 innings and Elizabethtown turned to the bullpen, specifically Josh Sollenberger, Taras Letnaunchyn and Sean Jones, for 4.2 innings of one-run ball.
Letnaunchyn got the win with two strikeouts over 2.2 innings. The only blemish on his record was Luke's homer. Sean Jones struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his third save.
But the reason the Blue Jays will play Moravian once more tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. for a spot in next weekend's Landmark Championship series was Lorenz. The McAlisterville, Pa., native and East Juniata grad drove home Weary on a sac fly for RBI No. 5 in the top of the ninth and finished the game with new single-game career-highs in hits (3-for-4), home runs and RBIs.
Weary also racked up three hits in five plate appearances, scored twice and drove in one. Fackler touched home twice, Frank Canuso went 2-for-4 and Gatti was 2-for-5 to lead E-town's 12-hit attack.
ON DECK
Elizabethtown and Moravian conclude their semifinal series tomorrow at 11 a.m. in Bethlehem. The winner advances to next weekend's Landmark Championship series against either No. 1 Scranton or No. 4 Catholic. Those two teams will also be playing a third game Sunday morning after Catholic won game one to force a split Saturday.
