APRIL 30, 2018
MONARCH BASEBALL HEADED BACK TO POSTSEASON AFTER WILD VICTORY OVER DELAWARE VALLEY
WILKES-BARRE, PA --- Christian Pack recorded his second walk-off of the year when he drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to give the King's College baseball team a 9-8 victory over Delaware Valley on Monday afternoon at Lipo Field in Wilkes-Barre in the team's final regular season game. The win enabled the Monarchs to clinch the fourth and final spot in the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Tournament next weekend.
The Monarchs improved to 20-14 overall and finished with a 12-9 mark in conference play. King's will be one of the hottest teams in the field after winning 12 of their final 13 games. The Aggies, who gave the Monarchs the opportunity to control their own destiny by beating Manhattanville on Sunday, fall to 10-22 overall and 5-15 in the MAC Freedom.
King's held an 8-6 lead going into the ninth inning but the Aggies were able to rally to tie the game up on four hits and two errors. Matt Mellinger started the bottom half of the inning by reaching base on a fielding error. Sean Padden was hit-by-a-pitch before Mellinger advanced to third on a fly ball to right by Brad Wilkins. Sean McKee hit a fly ball down the right-field line that was caught but unfortunately was not deep enough to score the run. Dan Hartson worked a five-pitch walk to bring up Pack with the bases loaded and two out. Pack watched the first three pitches miss for balls before seeing a strike. The 3-1 pitch from James Eldridge missed high to give the Monarchs the victory and send the team to their third consecutive conference tournament.
Billy Neill got the start on the mound for the Monarch and got into a little trouble in the first inning when the leadoff man reached third with one out. Neill got the next two batters to strike out swinging to get out of the inning unharmed.
Hartson led off the bottom of the inning with a walk and Pack singled to center. Chris Rebar and Kyle Lupas both hit the ball hard but right at the corner outfielders for the first two outs of the inning. Shawn Stone knocked in the first run of the game with a single to right field and then Mellinger walked to load the bases. Sean Padden then roped a bases-clearing double to the left centerfield gap to give the Monarchs a 4-0 lead. Brad Wilkins continued the hit parade with a single up the middle to score Padden. The Aggies got out of the inning with a fly ball to right.
Delaware Valley was able to manufacture an unearned run in the second when Sammy Amos reached on a throwing error and advanced to second. He then scored on back-to-back groundouts. The Aggies cut the lead to one run in the fourth with three runs on three hits. Delaware Valley loaded the bases with one out on a single and two walks. After a fly out to right Jeremy Stewart knocked in two runs with a single to left center and then Steve Smith singled through the left side to score another run.
King's responded in the bottom of the inning when Chris Rebar sent a 3-2 pitch over the fence in right-center for his fourth home run of the year. The Monarchs added another run in the sixth to take a 7-4 lead when Hartson singled to right center with runners on first and second with two outs.
Chris Lupole relieved Neill on the hill in the seventh. Timmy Lallis hit a one-out double down the line in left and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He scored on a groundout to second to cut the lead to two. The Aggies added another run in the eighth on three hits.
In the bottom of the eighth Hartson led off with a single through the left side on the first pitch he saw. Pack moved him to second on a sacrifice bunt before Rebar hit a rocket to first for an infield single. Hartson scored on a balk to put King's back up two.
Lallis began the ninth by reaching on a throwing error. He then scored on back-to-back singles. The Aggies then tied the game on a sac fly. Two more singles loaded the bases with one out before Lupole got out of the inning with a foul out to the catcher and a groundball to short.
Chris Rebar had three hits including a home run. Sean Padden knocked in three runs on two hits and scored twice while Dan Hartson had two hits, scored two runs, and knocked in one. Billy Neill did not get a decision with six strong innings on the mound. He allowed four runs, three earned on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Chris Lupole improved to 3-2 on the year pitching the final three innings. He allowed four runs, three earned, on eight hits.
Timmy Lallis, Tom Crooks, Sammy Amos, Trevor Mussleman, and Jeremy Stewart had two hits each for the Aggies. Kevin Crill allowed seven runs, six earned, on nine hits and three walks with three strikeouts in the first five innings. James Eldridge pitched the final 3.2 innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits and four walks with one strikeout.
King's will now face top-seeded DeSales University on Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in West Lawn, PA at Owls Field at Ted Palka Park in the first game of the MAC Freedom Tournament. Second-Seeded Misericordia University and third-seeded Wilkes University will play in the other Friday matchup.