Elizabethtown College Baseball News 
Back to top 5/18/2007 Elizabethtown Ends Stint in NCAA Division III Regionals With 3-1 Loss to T ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL Elizabethtown Ends Stint in NCAA Division III Regionals With 3-1 Loss to The College of New Jersey BOYERTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown ended its 2007 season with a 23-18 overall record Friday, falling in the NCAA Division III Regional tournament at Boyertown, Pa. 3-1 to The College of New Jersey. TCNJ improves to 34-10 overall with the win and will face Gwynedd-Mercy College at 4:30 p.m. today. The game began with Etown starting pitcher Matt Kutz (New Cumberland, PA/Cedar Cliff) striking out The College of New Jersey’s first two batters. With two out, Blake Bullis (Delran, NJ/Delran) got the Lions’ first hit on a single to left field. A flyout to center field then ended TCNJ’s half of the inning. In the bottom of the first, Mike Oliver (Hamilton, NJ/Hamilton West) started on the mound for TCNJ, and quickly got Etown out on a line drive to second, a strikeout looking and a flyout to center field. The College of New Jersey quickly went down with three groundouts in the top of the second inning. In the bottom of the second, Elizabethtown led off with a pair of strikeouts, and a flyout to center field ended the inning. TCNJ broke the stalemate in the top of the third as Dave Mebs (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) launched a leadoff home run over the center field fence to give the Lions’ a 1-0 lead. That was followed by a groundout to first base. Dan Czepiga (Lawrenceville, NJ/Notre Dame) followed with a single down the left field line, and he was thrown out trying to steal second base for the second out. Jeff Toth (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) followed with a single to left field, and he stole second base. He was stranded there, as a popout to second ended the Lions’ turn at bat. In the bottom of the third, Etown grounded out to second to lead off. Matt Vinagro (Fredericksburg, VA/Stafford) followed with the Blue Jays’ first hit of the game, a single to deep shortstop. Etown struck out looking next, and Vinagro stole second base. Ryan White (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) followed with a single, but Vinagro was thrown out trying to score to end the inning. In the top of the fourth, TCNJ led off with a foul out to Etown third baseman Dean Whetham (Wilmington, DE/Brandywine) caught near the fence. The Lions followed with a deep flyout to left field and a lineout to left field. In the bottom of the fourth, Mike Donahue (Hatfield, PA/Lansdale Catholic) hit a first-pitch single to center-right to lead off for Elizabethtown, but he was picked off first base for the first out. Etown then struck out and flied out to center field to end the inning. In the top of the fifth, Matt Zonies (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) led off with a bloop infield hit to second base, and he beat the throw to first for a single for TCNJ. The Lions then filed out to center field and struck out. With two outs, Czepiga doubled to center field and moved Zonies up to third base. They were left there as a popout to second ended the inning. In the bottom of the fifth, Elizabethtown led off with a groundout to second. Jared Morris (Brielle, NJ/Manasquan) followed with a single through the left side. Tom Semanek (Swoyersville, PA/Bishop Hoban) then singled up the middle to advance Morris to second base. Vinagro launched a double off the left field wall in the next at-bat to send Semanek to third and score Morris, tying the game 1-1. Oliver then got Elizabethtown to strike out looking and strike out swinging to end the fifth. In the top of the sixth, TCNJ led of with a lineout to right field, caught on the run by Etown’s Brandon Watson ( Philadelphia, PA/Central). Gerard Haran (Matawan, NJ/Old Bridge) followed with a single to left field. Andrew Cosgrove (Lebanon, NJ/North Hunderton) reached base on a fielder’s choice as Haranwas out on the play. TCNJ then grounded out to shortstop for the final out. In the bottom of the sixth, Donahue drew a walk to lead off for Etown. Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy) followed with a single to right field, moving Donahue to second. At that point, TCNJ made a pitching change, bringing in Dave Waseleski (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) in relief. He struck out the next Elizabethtown batter looking and the next two after that swinging to end the inning. In the top of the seventh inning, Zonies was hit by a pitch to lead off, and a sacrifice bunt by Mebs moved him up to second base. P.J. Anzelone (Vernon, NJ/Vernon Township) followed with a deep home run to right field to give the Lions a 3-1 lead. Czepiga followed with a bunt single and stole second base. Toth then drew a walk. At that point, Elizabethtown made a pitching change with first-year student Ryan Barrett ( Knox, PA/Keystone) taking over on the mound. He struck out the next Lion batter swinging and got a flyout to center field to end TCNJ’s turn. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Elizabethtown grounded out to first to lead off, and Vinagro followed with a walk. Etown then struck out the next two times to end the inning. TCNJ flied out to center field to lead off the top of the eighth inning. The Lions’ fouled out to third base in the next at-bat for the second out, and Zonies followed with a bloop single to right field. Barrett then struck out the final TCNJ batter to retire the side. Donahue led off the bottom of the eighth with a single to left field for Etown, and Auman followed with a single up the middle. Elizabethtown then flew out to right field for the first out as TCNJ made a diving catch. Watson reached base on a fielder’s choice, and Auman was out at second on the play as Donahue moved up to third base. Etown then grounded out to second for the final out of the inning. TCNJ struck out to lead off the top of the ninth. Czepiga then drew a walk, and Elizabethtown made another pitching change with Tyler Hoffman ( Phoenix, MD/Loyola Blakefield), who started Wednesday’s game against Johns Hopkins, taking over on the mound. Czepiga stole second base during the next at-bat, upon which Toth hit a hard line drive to second that White caught leaping for the second out. The third out then came on a hard line drive straight to Hoffman, who caught the ball just to the side of his left hip. Elizabethtown led off the bottom of the ninth inning striking out looking. Etown flied out to center field for the second out. Pinch hitter Adam Sheibley (Landisburg, PA/West Perry) then drew a walk. Etown then flied out to center field to end the game. Vinagro hit 2-for-3 with a double, a stolen base and an RBI for Etown. Donahue batted 2-for-3, and Auman hit 2-for-4 for Elizabethtown. On the mound, Kutz spread nine hits and one walke over 6-1/3 innings while striking out three. Barrett’s entire collegiate career before today’s game consisted of 9-1/3 innings pitched, and he allowed just one hit and one walk in two innings of relief while striking out three today. Hoffman pitched a perfect 2/3 of an inning to close the game. Waseleski improved to 6-0 on the season for TCNJ as he spread two hits and two walks over four innings of relief with six strikeouts. Oliver started on the mound for the Lions and went five innings with seven hits, one run, one walk and seven strikouts. Czepiga batted 3-for-4 with a walk, a double and a stolen base for TCNJ, and Zonies went 2-for-3 with one time hit by a pitch and one run. TCNJ 3, Elizabethtown 1 Back to top 5/17/2007 Elizabethtown Stays Alive in NCAA Division III Regionals, Defeats Wilkes 4 ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL Elizabethtown Stays Alive in NCAA Division III Regionals, Defeats Wilkes 4-2 BOYERTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College remained alive in the 2007 NCAA Division III regional tournament at Boyertown, Pa. Thursday afternoon with a 4-2 win over Wilkes University in game five. Wilkes concludes its season with a 24-12 overall record with the loss, its second of the double-elimination tournament. Elizabethtown, which improves to 23-17 overall with the win, advances to face the loser of this evening’s Johns Hopkins University-College of New Jersey game at 9:30 a.m. Friday morning. The teams were tied 0-0 through the first three innings, and Elizabethtown began the scoring with a run in the top of the fourth inning. Brandon Watson (Philadelphia, PA/Central) drew a one-out walk for Etown, and he moved up to second base on a Jared Morris (Brielle, NJ/Manasquan) groundout to second. Watson moved up to third base on a balk by Wilkes starting pitcher Tom Buckler (Plains, PA/Coughlin). Tom Semanek (Swoyersville, PA/Bishop Hoban) followed with a double down the right field line for Etown to score Watson. Elizabethtown went up 2-0 in the top of the fifth inning. Rodney Francis (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) led off with a walk and stole second base. Ryan White (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) followed with a single, and he advanced to second base on a Wilkes error while Francis scored on the play. Another Elizabethtown run in the top of the sixth inning made the score 3-0 in Elizabethtown’s favor. Morris led off with a single to right, and Semanek followed by reaching base on an error in left field while Morris advanced to third base. Matt Vinagro (Frederick, MD/Stafford) then followed by grounding into a double play, but Morris scored in the process. Wilkes began to rally in the bottom of the eighth inning with one run to cut the gap to 3-1 on a one-out solo home run by Matt LoPresto (Pittston, PA/Pittston Area). Wilkes then put runners on first and second with one out, but Etown reliever Chris Minakowski (Roslyn, PA/Abington) then entered the game and quickly got the final two outs of the inning. Elizabethtown added one more run in the top of the ninth to make the score 4-1. Vinagro led off with a single, and Francis advanced him to second base in the next at-bat on a bunt single. White then grounded into a fielder’s choice, upon which Vinagro was out at third. However, a throwing error as Wilkes attempted to complete a double play resulted in White moving up to second base and Francis advancing to third. Mike Donahue (Hatfield, PA/Lansdale Catholic) then hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Francis. In the bottom of the ninth, Mike McAndrew (Avoca, PA/Pittston Area) led off with a single for Wilkes. Corey Helfrich (Larksville, PA/Wyoming Valley West) followed with a single down the left field line, but he was thrown out at second base trying to stretch it into a double while McAndrew advanced to third. With one out, Chris Mayerski (Swoyersville, PA/Wyoming Valley West) hit a single up the middle of the field to score McAndrew and cut the gap to 4-2. LoPresto immediately followed with a single to move Mayerski up to second base, but a Wilkes popup to third afterward ended the game. Wilkes actually out-hit Elizabethtown 12-7 over the course of the game. Elizabethtown starting pitcher Sam Heaps (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove), after pitching in relief last night, went seven shutout innings on the mound for the Blue Jays to earn his eighth win of the season. He struck out five Wilkes batters, walked two, and spread six hits over seven innings. Andy Mees (Kinnelon, NJ/Kinnelon) got the first out of the eighth inning on the mound for Etown, and Minakowski finished out the game for his third save of the season. Wilkes pitcher Buckler went the full nine innings on the mound for the Colonels. He spread seven hits and six walks over that span, and two of the four runs he allowed were unearned. Elizabethtown 4, Wilkes 2 Back to top 5/16/2007 Elizabethtown Falls 5-4 to Johns Hopkins On Three-Run Ninth Inning Homer i ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL Elizabethtown Falls 5-4 to Johns Hopkins On Three-Run Ninth Inning Homer in NCAA Division III Regionals BOYERTOWN, Pa. --- After a nearly six-hour rain delay in the sixth inning, Johns Hopkins University defeated Elizabethtown College 5-4 eight and a half hours after the game began with a walk-off, three run home run by Rob Sanzillo (Katonah, NY/Somers) in the bottom of the ninth inning on the first day of the NCAA Division III regional tournament at Boyertown, Pa. With the loss, Elizabethtown drops to 22-17 overall and will next face the loser of tonight’s Wilkes University-College of New Jersey game at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow in the double-elimination tournament. Due to the rain delays today, the Wilkes-TCNJ game will not begin until shortly after 10:00 p.m. tonight. Johns Hopkins improves to 36-9 overall with the win and will face the winner of the Wilkes-TCNJ game at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow. Elizabethtown wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the top of the first. Ryan White (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) hit a first-pitch, leadoff single to right field for Etown. Mike Donahue (Hatfield, PA/Lansdale Catholic) followed with a single to left. The pair moved to second and third bases in the next at-bat on a Jared Auman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy) groundout to third. A Dean Whetham (Wilmington, DE/Brandywine) groundout to shortstop in the next at-bat scored White for Elizabethtown’s first run of the game and moved Donahue to third. Brandon Watson (Philadelphia, PA/Central) followed by drawing a walk, putting runners on first and third. Jared Morris (Brielle, NJ/Manasquan) followed with a single to right field that scored Donahue before Johns Hopkins starting pitcher Joe Zaccaria (Manhassett, NY/Manhassett) got out of the inning on an Elizabethtown pop-up to second. In the bottom of the first, Hopkins lined out to second before Jonas Fester (Dallas, TX/Syosset) singled down the middle. Auman, Elizabethtown’s catcher, gunned down Fester, who attempted to steal second, in the next at-bat, which Hopkins catcher Sanzillo completed with a triple to center field. A groundout to shortstop in the next at-bat got Elizabethtown starting pitcher Tyler Hoffman (Phoenix, MD/Loyola Blakefield) out of the inning without any Hopkins scoring. In the top of the second inning, Zaccaria settled down on the mound, and Elizabethtown flied out to center field, struck out swinging and fouled out to the second baseman in quick succession. In the bottom of the second, Hopkins struck out looking in its first at-bat before Ian Christie (Endicott, NY/Union) singled to left field. He would not advance, though, as Hopkins flied out to left and grounded out to Hoffman in the next two at-bats. Donahue led off the top of the third for Etown with a bunt single down the first base line, and he stole second on a strikeout. Whetham followed with a single to left that moved Donahue up to third base with one out. Zaccaria struck out the next two batters to end Etown’s turn at the plate. In the bottom of the third, Hopkins began with a deep fly-out to center field, caught by Donahue on the run just before the warning track. Johns Hopkins followed with another fly-out to left field, and Fester followed with a two-out single up the middle. Hoffman struck out the next batter to end the inning. In the top of the fourth, Elizabethtown grounded out to first, grounded out to third and grounded out to second. Rob Pietroforte (Brooklyn, NY/Berkeley Carroll) led off for Johns Hopkins with a stand-up double in the bottom of the fourth. The next batter flied out to center. Christie followed with a bunt single to third that moved Pietroforte up to third base with one out. The inning ended with no scoring as Hopkins grounded into a 6-4-3 double play in the next at-bat. White led off the top of the fifth inning with a walk for Elizabethtown. Donahue hit a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher to move White up to second with one out. Auman singled to second in the next at-bat as the Hopkins throw to first did not catch him in time, and White advanced to third. A Whetham sacrifice fly to center field then scored White to give Elizabethtown a 3-0 lead. The third out came on a fly ball to right field. In the bottom of the fifth, Johns Hopkins flied out to center to lead off, and Nate Adelman (Redwood City, CA/Menlo School) followed with a single on a bad hop over the second baseman. Hopkins flied out to left in the next at-bat, and Adelman stole second with two out. Fester then drove home Hopkins’ first run of the game on a double down the left field line that scored Adelman. Sanzillo followed with an RBI single, scoring Fester and cutting the Elizabethtown lead to 3-2. Pietroforte followed with a single to third, as Sanzillo beat the throw to second base. A groundout to first in the next at-bat ended the fifth inning. In the top of the sixth inning, Elizabethtown led off with a groundout to shortstop. Up to that point, the sky had gradually been darkening and the wind had gradually been increasing in strength throughout the game. At approximately 2:30 p.m., the game was halted due to an approaching thunderstorm. Rain continued throughout the afternoon and early evening, and the game did not resume until 8:15 p.m. Patrick Steffee (Chesterfield, MO/Marquette) took over on the mound for Johns Hopkins when the game resumed. Etown flied out to center field on Steffee’s first pitch for the second out. Matt Vinagro (Fredericksburg, VA/Stafford) followed with a bloop single to center field, and he was stranded on a high fly-out to shortstop. Chris Minakowski (Roslyn, PA/Abington) took over on the mound for Etown to start the bottom of the sixth inning. Johns Hopkins flied out to right field, flied out and struck out looking in the bottom of the sixth. In the top of the seventh inning, White led off with a single up the middle for Elizabethtown. A Donahue sacrifice bunt to the pitcher moved him up to second base with one out. Auman followed with a double, driving home White to give Etown a 4-2 lead. Etown then struck out swinging, and Watson followed with a two-out single to shortstop, beating the throw to first to move Auman up to third. The two were stranded there, as Etown flied out to right to end its turn at the plate. In the bottom of the seventh, Johns Hopkins struck out swinging to begin. With one out, Jon Solomon (Fairfax, VA/Riverdale Baptist) singled to right field. Hopkins followed with a high fly-out to center field. Sanzillo was then hit by a pitch, moving Solomon up to second base. A wild pitch moved the pair up to second and third, and Pietroforte walked to load the bases. All three were stranded as Minakowski struck out the next batter swinging to end the inning. Elizabethtown began the eighth inning by grounding out to second and flying out to center field. Rodney Francis (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) followed with a double to deep center field, but he was stranded on a groundout to shortstop. In the bottom of the eighth, Christie drew a lead-off walk for Johns Hopkins. Hopkins then flied out to center field and grounded into another 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Donahue began the top of the ninth inning with a double to center field for Elizabethtown. A groundout to second by Auman moved Donahue up to third base with one out for Whetham, who hit a grounder to third and reached base on a fielder’s choice. Donahue was thrown out at home on the play for the second out. Watson then singled to right field, moving Whetham up to second. Morris drew a walk to load the bases. Etown then grounded out to shortstop to end the top of the ninth without scoring. Sam Heaps (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove) took over on the mound for Elizabethtown to start the bottom of the ninth inning in his first relief appearance of the season after ten starts in 2007. Adelman led off for Johns Hopkins with a single up the middle. That was followed by a fly-out to left field with a diving catch made by Francis for the first out. Fester followed with a single to center field, moving Adelman up to second base. Sanzillo followed with a three-run home run over the right field fence to win the game for Johns Hopkins. Donahue hit 3-for-3 with a double, two sacrifice bunts, a stolen base and a run scored for Etown, and White went 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored. Auman went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI, and Whetham batted 1-for-4 with a sacrifice fly and two RBI. Sanzillo hit 3-for-4 with one time hit by a pitch, one triple, one home run, four RBI and one run scored for Hopkins. Fester batted 4-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and one RBI for Johns Hopkins. At Boyertown, Pa. (NCAA Regionals) Johns Hopkins 5, Elizabethtown 4 R H E Back to top 5/5/2007 Elizabethtown Successfully Defends Commonwealth Conference Title; Blue Jay ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL Elizabethtown Successfully Defends Commonwealth Conference Title; Blue Jays Headed to NCAA Regionals for Second Consecutive Year WEST LAWN, Pa. --- It took two games, but Elizabethtown College successfully defended its Commonwealth Conference title and clinched a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament for the second year in a row Saturday at the conference playoffs in West Lawn, Pa. Elizabethtown, which needed one win to seal the championship, fell to Widener University 9-2 in the first game Saturday but bounced back to win the second game 12-1 over Widener. The Blue Jays are now 22-16 overall in 2007. Elizabethtown will return to action in the NCAA Regionals at a location to be determined from May 16 to May 20. Widener 9, Elizabethtown 2 Elizabethtown 12, Widener 1 Back to top 5/4/2007 Elizabethtown One Win Away from Commonwealth Conference Title and NCAA Reg ELIZABETHTHOWN COLLEGE BASEBALL Elizabethtown One Win Away from Commonwealth Conference Title and NCAA Regional Bid; Blue Jays Down Widener 9-4 in Playoffs Friday WEST LAWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College is now one win away from its second consecutive Commonwealth Conference title and NCAA Division III tournament berth following a 9-4 win over Widener University in the Commonwealth playoffs at West Lawn, Pa. Friday. The Blue Jays improved to 21-15 overall and advanced to face the winner of tonight’s Lebanon Valley-Widener game at noon Saturday in West Lawn. Widener dropped to 24-15 overall with the loss and must now face Lebanon Valley tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the double-elimination conference playoff “survivors’ game.” Elizabethtown took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, but Widener struck back with three runs in the top of the third to go up 3-2. The Blue Jays went ahead to stay with five runs in the bottom of the third to take a 7-3 lead. Etown scored twice more in the bottom of the fifth, and Widener added its final run in the top of the ninth inning. Etown starting pitcher Sam Heaps (Landenberg, PA/Avon Grove) went seven innings and earned his seventh win of the season, spreading eight hits, three runs, one walk and six strikeouts over that span. Kurt Smith (York, PA/Eastern York) pitched a perfect eighth inning in relief for Etown with one strikeout, and Adam Hartzell (Spring City, PA/Owen J. Roberts) finished the game in the ninth. Elizabethtown center fielder Mike Donahue (Hatfield, PA/Lansdale Catholic) hit 2-for-5 with a triple, a stolen base and two RBI. Second baseman Ryan White (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) hit 2-for-5 with a steal, a run and an RBI. Jared Morris (Brielle, NJ/Manasquan) went 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored, and Adam Sheibley (Landisburg, PA/West Perry) hit 2-for-4 with a stolen base, two runs and one RBI. Brandon Watson (Philadelphia, PA/Central) went 1-for-4 with a double, one run scored and one run batted in for the Blue Jays. Elizabethtown 9, Widener 4(May 04, 2007 at West Lawn, PA) ------------------------------------------------- Widener............. 003 000 001 - 4 10 4 (24-15) Elizabethtown....... 025 020 00X - 9 10 3 (21-15) ------------------------------------------------- Pitchers: Widener - Albright, Walt; Zebley, Matt(3); Gross, Dan(3); Pletcher, Tom(8). Elizabethtown - Sam Heaps; Kurt Smith(8); Adam Hartzell(9). Win-Sam Heaps(7-3) Loss-Albright, Walt(6-1) T-2:42 |
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