MAY 7, 2017
MONARCHS PREP FOR POSTSEASON WITH SPLIT IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE
ST. DAVIDS, PA --- The King's College baseball team salvaged a split with host Eastern University in St. Davids on Sunday afternoon to take the season series from the Eagles. Eastern won the first game 8-4 before the Monarchs took the nightcap 7-3. King's had previously won the first game of the series on Thursday afternoon in Wilkes-Barre.
The Monarchs finish the regular season with a 20-16 overall mark and 13-8 record in conference play. King's, who qualified for the postseason for the second consecutive year, will be the third seed in next weekend's Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Tournament. The Eagles season comes to an end with a 14-21 overall record and 9-12 mark in conference games.
Eastern scored five runs on four hits and three Monarch errors in the second inning to open up a 5-0 lead. The Eagles received a leadoff single to left from Shane Albertson. He then advanced to second on a throwing error on a failed pickoff attempt and was driven in by Brady DiGiacomo on a single to right. DiGiacomo advanced to second on a fielding error in right field on his single and moved to third on a wild pitch. After Jake Bunjo walked Angelo Kelly knocked in a run with a single to center. Bunjo scored to make it 3-0 on a groundout to short. Andrew Boykin increased the lead to five with a two-run homer to right. The Eagles added two more runs on three two-out hits in the fifth to take a 7-0 lead.
King's responded in the top of the sixth with four runs of their own to cut the lead to 7-4. Chris Rebar scored the Monarchs first run on a throwing error by Eagle pitcher Josh Freed. Sean Padden then knocked in Kyle Lupas with a double down the leftfield line. Bruce Briethaupt scored the third run on the inning on a balk and then Kyle Friebolin knocked in Padden on a sacrifice fly to right.
Eastern added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning when Timmy Gorton reached on a error, advanced to third on two wild pitches, and then scored on a sacrifice fly to left center to set the final score.
Lupas led the Monarchs with two hits, a walk, and a run scored in game one. Padden had a hit, a RBI, and scored a run while Christian Pack had a hit. Nick Deno allowed five runs on eight hits and walked two in three innings of work on the mound. Connor Balloun pitched two innings in relief and gave up two runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout. Matt Hassick walked one and gave up an unearned run in an inning of work.
Kelly, Boykin, Albertson, and Zachary Belansek had two hits each for the Eagles. Kelly and Boykin each knocked in two and scored once while Albertson scored two runs. Freed got the win on the mound throwing 5.1 innings allowing four runs, two earned, on two hits with five walks and a strikeout.
In game two the Monarchs got on the board early with a run in the first inning. Pack and Chris Rebar drew back-to-back walks with one out. Pack then scored when Lupas reached on an error by the Eagles second baseman. Two batters later Padden loaded the bases with two outs on a infield single to the pitcher but Eastern was unable to force a fly out to center by Tom Gibbons to get out of the inning with no more damage.
The Monarchs struck again in the fourth when Breithaupt led off with an infield single to first, Padden walked, and then both moved up to second and third on a wild pitch. Gibbons knocked in Breithaupt with a single to second base. Pack then gave King's a 4-0 lead with a two RBI double to right center with two outs in the inning.
The Eagles were able to manufacture a run in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to 4-1. However King's responded in the fifth with two more runs to take a 6-1 lead. Lupas led off with a single to center and then moved up to second when Breithaupt drew a walk. Padden singled to left center to load the bases and then Lupas scored when Gibbons flew out to center. Shawn Stone knocked in the second run of the inning on a fielder's choice to short with the bases loaded and one out. In the bottom of the inning the Eagles cut the deficit to 6-3 when Boykin hit a two-run homer to center.
The Monarchs added an insurance run in the seventh when Dan Hartson knocked in Sean McKee on a fielder's choice to short with runners on the corners and one out.
Pack led the Monarchs in the second game with two hits including a double, two RBI, and a run scored. Gibbons also had two hits and knocked in a run while Lupas and Padden recorded two hits and score a run each. Billy Neill picked up the win on the mound allowing three runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work. John Wickiser picked his third save of the season pitching the final 2.2 innings of shutout ball allowing four hits and striking out two.
Boykin led the Eagles with two hits including a two-run home run. Jordan Laboy, Joseph De Los Santos, and Craig Stanley also recorded two hits each.
Kyle Lupas led the Monarchs on the day with four hits in seven at-bats and two runs scored. Sean Padden went 3-for-6 with a double, a RBI, and a run scores while Christian Pack had three hits, two RBI, and a run scored. Tom Gibbons had two hits and Bruce Breithaupt scored three times.
King's will open up play in the conference tournament on Friday night against second-seeded Misericordia University at 7:30 p.m. in West Lawn, PA at Owls Field at Ted Palka Park. Top-seed DeSales University will face fourth-seeded Manhattanville College in the first game of the day.