5/19/2006		Adrian Edges Elizabethtown 3-2 in NCAA Regional; Blue Jays Conclude Season
5/18/2006		Marietta Defeats Elizabethtown 10-5 in NCAA Division III Mideast Regional
5/17/2006		Elizabethtown Upends Second-Seeded Otterbein 7-3 in Ten Innings at NCAA Re
5/6/2006		Elizabethtown Wins First Conference Title Since 2001, Clinches NCAA Tourna
5/5/2006		Elizabethtown Defeats Lebanon Valley 9-3 in Commonwealth Conference Playof

ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL
Friday, May 19, 2006

Adrian Edges Elizabethtown 3-2 in NCAA Regional; Blue Jays Conclude Season 26-16-1 Overall

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. --- Adrian College (Mich.) eliminated Elizabethtown College from the Mideast Regional of the NCAA Division III baseball tournament with a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays Friday morning at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Elizabbethtown wraps up its 2006 season with a 26-16-1 overall record, and the Blue Jays went 1-2 at the NCAA Mideast Regional. Adrian improves to 26-16 overall and advances to face Otterbein College at 3:00 p.m. today.

Elizabethtown took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as shortstop Jon Kalejta (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown) hit a two-out double and was singled home by right fielder Brandon Watson (Philadelphia, PA/Central).

Adrian responded in the bottom of the first inning with two runs of its own to seize the lead. Second baseman Todd Myers got things started with a one-out single, and designated hitter Chris Pappas followed with a single that moved him up to second. With two out, Myers and Pappas pulled off a double steal, and third baseman Isaiah Beckman followed with a two-RBI single.

There was no more scoring after the first inning until the bottom of the eighth, when catcher Chad Baas launched a lead-off home run to push Adrian’s lead to 3-1.

Elizabethtown rallied in the top of the ninth inning with one run but was unable to bring in the tying run. Third baseman Jose Medina (Philadelphia, PA/Cardinal Dougherty) hit a one-out double, and Zach Bradley (Havertown, PA/Cardinal O’Hara) pinch-ran for him. With two outs, left fielder Ryan White (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) singled home Bradley.

Pitcher Sam Heaps (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove) went the distance on the mound for Elizabethtown, spreading 13 hits, three runs and one walk over eight innings while striking out three. Adrian starting pitcher Craig Reynolds also threw a complete game, spreading 11 hits, two runs and three walks over nine innings while striking out six for his sixth win of the season.

White led Etown in hits as he went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Kalejta batted 2-for-4 with a double, a sacrifice bunt and a run scored for the Blue Jays, and Watson went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Medina hit 2-for-4 with a double.

ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL
Thursday, May 18, 2006

Marietta Defeats Elizabethtown 10-5 in NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Tournament; Blue Jays to Face Adrian Friday Morning

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. --- Third-seeded Marietta College (O.) defeated seventh-seeded Elizabethtown 10-5 on the second day of the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional tournament hosted by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Thursday. Marietta improves to 37-10 overall with the win, while Elizabethtown drops to 26-15-1 overall and will next face Adrian College (Mich.) at 9:00 a.m. Friday.

Due to intermittent rain and thunderstorms Wednesday night and Thursday, the Elizabethtown-Marietta game, which was originally scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m., did not get underway until 3:00 p.m.

Marietta jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning as center fielder Chris Hendricks led off with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch, went to third on a fly out, and scored as first baseman Jarrod Klausman drove him home on an Etown error. Klausman went up to third on a wild pitch, and he scored on an RBI groundout by third baseman Justin Steranka.

Before the bottom of the first inning could bet underway, another thunderstorm swept through the area and resulted in the suspension of the game until 6:00 p.m. Once it resumed, Etown got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third as first baseman Brian Torresani (Horsham, PA/Hatboro-Horsham) led off with a double and scored later during a double play.

Marietta added four more runs to take a 6-1 lead in the top of the fourth. Steranka led off with a double, and designated hitter Tom Doty and second baseman Ryan Belanger followed with walks to load the bases. Catcher Lee Guerrera grounded into a fielder’s choice, but no one was out on the play due to an Elizabethtown error, and Steranka and Doty scored on the play. Shortstop Ryan Eschbaugh followed with a grounder to third that resulted in Belanger being thrown out at the plate and Guerrera moving up to third. Eschbaugh then stole second base, and Guerrera scored on the throw to second. Hendricks followed with a double that drove home Eschbaugh with two outs.

Elizabethtown responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the gap to 6-3. Designated hitter Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy) hit a one-out single, and catcher Tom Semanek (Swoyersville, PA/Bishop Hoban) followed with a two-run home run.

In the top of the sixth, Marietta scored twice to push ahead 8-3. Eschbaugh was hit by a pitch with one out, and Hendricks followed with a single. Right fielder Tony Piconke drove home both of them on a single.

The Blue Jays again struck back with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to narrow Marietta’s lead to 8-5. Auman and Semanek led off with a pair of walks, and Torresani sacrificed bunted the pair to second and third. Second baseman Adam Sheibley (Landisburg, PA/West Perry) singled home Auman, and center fielder Mike Donahue (Hatfield, PA/Lansdale Catholic) singled home Semanek.

Marietta added the final two runs of the game in the top of the eighth inning. Piconke and Klausman led off with singles and were advanced to second and third on a Steranka sacrifice bunt. Pinch hitter Joe Litke then drove home Piconke on a fielder’s choice that resulted in no one out on the play. Left fielder Josh Beebe followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Klausman.

Marietta starter Mike DeMark improved to 7-1 on the season as he pitched the first five innings, allowing five runs on four hits and five walks while striking out four. Jason Baumler earned his first save of his collegiate career for Marietta as he pitched the final four innings, allowing three hits, one walk and no runs.

Etown starter Scott Beard (Willow Grove, PA/La Salle College H.S.) dropped to 5-7 on the season as he pitched the first 5-2/3 innings, allowing six hits and eight runs, only three of which were earned. He struck out three batters. Matt Kutz (New Cumberland, PA/Cedar Cliff) pitched two innings in relief for Etown, allowing three hits, two walks and two runs. Matt Woehnker (Colts Neck, NJ/ Christian Brothers Academy) pitched the final 1-1/3 innings for Etown and allowed only one hit.

Hendricks went 3-for-5 with a double, two runs and one RBI for Marietta. Steranka hit 2-for-3 with two doubles, one run, one RBI, one walk and a sacrifice bunt.

ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL
Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Elizabethtown Upends Second-Seeded Otterbein 7-3 in Ten Innings at NCAA Regional Tournament

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. --- Seventh-seeded Elizabethtown upended second-seeded Otterbein College in a 7-3 ten inning win on the opening day of the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional tournament hosted by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Wednesday. The Blue Jays improve to 26-14-1 overall with the win and will advance to face the winner of today’s Marietta/King’s (Pa.) game at 2:00 p.m. Thursday. Otterbein drops to 29-15 overall with the loss and will face the loser of today’s Marietta/King’s game at 9:30 a.m. Thursday in the double-elimination tournament.

The Blue Jays fell behind early as Otterbein scored its first run in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. Left fielder Chris Kovanda singled with two out for Otterbein, stole second base, and scored on an RBI single by right fielder Jerry Tulga. Otterbein went up 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning as first baseman Kyle Dyar launched a lead-off home run.

Elizabethtown tied the game with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning. Second baseman Adam Sheibley (Landisburg, PA/West Perry) led off the inning with a single and promptly stole second base. Center fielder Mike Donahue (Hatfield, PA/Lansdale Catholic) followed with a walk, and left fielder Ryan White (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) moved the runners up to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. Shortstop Jon Kalejta (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown) followed with a double that scored both of them.

Otterbein took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning as catcher Chris Martin led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice by third baseman Brandon Mauck, and scored on a single by second baseman Mike Griffin.

In the top of the ninth inning, Elizabethtown third baseman Dean Whetham (Wilmington, DE/Brandywine) tied the game 3-3 with a lead off home run over the left field fence.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Griffin reached base for Otterbein on an error. Shortstop Ben Titus followed with a single to left center, and Griffin rounded third and headed for home on the play. White threw from left to cutoff man Sheibley, who in turn fired home to Blue Jay catcher Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy). Auman tagged Griffin out to end the ninth and send the game into extra innings.

In the top of the tenth, Sheibley reached base on a one-out single. With two outs, White was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Kalejta followed with a base-clearing triple to give the Blue Jays a 5-3 lead, their first of the game. Whetham followed with a walk, and Brandon Watson (Philadelphia, PA/Central) singled to drive home Kalejta and send Etown ahead 6-3. In the next at bat, Auman doubled home Whetham to extend Elizabethtown’s lead to 7-3.

The game ended as Otterbein grounded into a double play to end the bottom of the tenth inning without scoring.

Elizabethtown relief pitcher Matt Woehnker (Colts Neck, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) pitched the final 1-1/3 innings to earn the win. He improves to 3-2 with three saves on the season. Etown starting pitcher Tyler Hoffman (Phoenix, MD/Loyola Blakefield) pitched the first 8-2/3 innings and did not allow a walk while striking out two and spreading 12 hits over the span.

Otterbein starter Bobby Wright pitched the first eight innings and allowed just five hits and two walks while striking out three. Trevor Horn received the loss on the mound for Otterbein, and his season record drops to 3-2.

Kalejta went 2-for-5 with a double and a triple at the plate while driving in four runs for Etown and scoring once. Whetham went 3-for-4 with two runs, one RBI and a home run, and Sheibley batted 2-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base. White scored once, was hit by a pitch twice, and had two sacrifice bunts in five plate appearances for Etown.

Titus led Otterbein in hits by going 3-for-5. Martin went 2-for-3 for the Cardinals, and Dyar hit 2-for-4 with a home run, while Tulga went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL
Saturday, May 6, 2006

Elizabethtown Wins First Conference Title Since 2001, Clinches NCAA Tournament Berth with Sweep of Juniata; Tyler Hoffman Named Playoff MVP; Adam Sheibley Hits Grand Slam

WEST LAWN, Pa. --- For the first time in the six-year history of the double-elimination Commonwealth Conference baseball playoffs, a team clawed its way back after losing a game to win the conference title. Elizabethtown claimed the conference championship Saturday by sweeping top-seeded Juniata College 4-2 and 9-5 after losing its opening round playoff game to Widener Thursday. It was also the first time in the history of the Commonwealth Conference playoffs that a second game had to be played on the final day.

Elizabethtown, which went 0-3 during the regular season against Juniata, improves to 25-14-1 overall with the wins and clinches its first NCAA Division III tournament berth since 2001. Juniata wraps up its season with a 30-12-1 overall mark. Elizabethtown junior pitcher Tyler Hoffman (Phoenix, MD/Loyola Blakefield) was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 Commonwealth Conference playoffs.

In the first game, Elizabethtown jumped out to a three-run lead in the top of the first inning. Ryan White (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) drew a one out walk, Jon Kalejta (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown) followed and was hit by a pitch, and Dean Whetham (Wilmington, DE/Brandywine) walked to load the bases. Brandon Watson (Philadelphia, PA/Central) followed with a two-RBI single, and Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy) singled home Whetham.

Juniata scored its first run in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Eagles added another run in the bottom of the sixth inning. In the bottom of the eighth, Juniata loaded the bases with one out, but Elizabethtown got out of the jam with a double play.

In the top of the ninth, Mike Donahue (Hatfield, PA/Lansdale Catholic) led off with a bloop single and advanced to second on a White sacrifice bunt. With two outs in the top of the ninth, Dean Whetham singled home Donahue to give Etown a 4-2 lead.

Etown starting pitcher Tyler Hoffman (Phoenix, MD/Loyola Blakefield) took the mound for the first game Saturday after pitching 6-1/3 innings in relief against Lebanon Valley Friday morning. Hoffman went 7-1/3 innings against Juniata, spreading nine hits, two walks and two runs over that span while striking out Juniata batters five times to earn his seventh win of the season and second in as many days. Matt Woehnker (Colts Neck, NJ/ Christian Brothers Academy) pitched the final 1-2/3 innings for Etown to earn his third save of the season. He allowed one hit and had one strikeout in his stint on the mound. Watson drove in a pair of runs for Etown in the first game, and Auman drove in one while hitting 2-for-3 with a double. Donahue batted 2-for-4 with a run and sacrifice.

In the second game, Juniata took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Juniata scored a second run in the top of the third. In the bottom of the fourth, White led off with a single for Etown, and Whetham singled him home with one out. Watson followed with a ground rule double, moving Whetham up to third. The two were stranded on base at the end of the inning, and Juniata retained a 2-1 lead through the fourth.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Elizabethtown tied the game 2-2. Adam Sheibley (Landisburg, PA/West Perry) drew a one-out walk. Donahue followed with another walk. The two advanced to second and third on a wild pitch, and White grounded out to drive home Sheibley.

In the bottom of the sixth, Whetham led off with a single, Watson followed with another single, and Auman singled home Whetham as the Blue Jays gained their first lead of the game, 3-2. In the next at-bat, Torresani reached base on a fielder’s choice, but there were no outs on the play and no runners advanced due to a Juniata fielding miscue. Sheibley followed by launching a grand slam home run to give the Blue Jays a 7-2 lead. Later in the inning, Watson singled home both Kalejta and White as Etown extended its lead to 9-2. The Blue Jays brought 12 batters to the plate in the sixth inning.

Juniata responded in the top of the seventh inning by loading the bases with no outs, but the Eagles tallied just one run to narrow the gap to 9-3. Juniata scored two runs in the top of the eighth to cut Elizabethtown’s lead to 9-5.

Whetham batted 4-for-4 with a run and an RBI for Etown in the second game, and Watson hit 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run. White batted 2-for-5 with two runs and one RBI, and Sheibley scored twice and drove in four runs while going 1-for-3 with a grand slam. Sam Heaps (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove) earned the win in relief for Etown after pitching four innings while allowing two hits, four walks, two earned runs, and four strikeouts. Woehnker spread two hits over the final two innings for Etown and allowed no runs.

ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL
Friday, May 5, 2006

Elizabethtown Defeats Lebanon Valley 9-3 in Commonwealth Conference Playoffs

READING, Pa. --- Elizabethtown exploded for five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to eliminate Lebanon Valley from the Commonwealth Conference playoffs with a 9-3 win over the Flying Dutchmen in West Lawn, Pa. Friday.

In the first game, Lebanon Valley jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning, but left three runners on base. The Flying Dutchmen also left the bases loaded in the third inning. Etown scored single runs in the bottom of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Lebanon Valley scored its third run in the top of the seventh inning.

Mike Donahue (Hatfield, PA/Lansdale Catholic) hit 4-for-5 with three runs batted in for Etown against Lebanon Valley, and Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy) went 2-for-4 with two runs and a triple at the plate. Ryan White (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) hit 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI and a stolen base for Etown. Tyler Hoffman (Phoenix, MD/Loyola Blakefield) pitched the final 6-1/3 innings for Etown and earned the win in relief, allowing just four hits, two walks and one run. It was his sixth win of the season.

With the win, Elizabethtown advances to play Friday night at 7:30 p.m. against the loser of this afternoon’s Juniata-Widener game.