Eagles Drops Heartbreaker to Merchant Marine

FT MYERS, FL- Juniata was a strike away from taking the third game of its series with Merchant Marine but allowed two runs to score on errors as the Mariners won 11-10 on Saturday afternoon at Connie Mack Park. It was the Eagles' final game of its nine-game Florida trip.

The Mariners led 3-0 after three innings of play. With two outs in the fourth, the Eagles scored when Nick Stubbs' (Hagerstown, MD/South Hagerstown) single scored Tyler Morris (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) from second base. After Stubbs then stole second, Jacob Terry's (Denver, PA/Cocalico) triple brought him in and it was a 3-2 game.

USMMA got one run in the bottom of the fourth and the Eagles got it back to bring the score to 4-3. The Mariners again responded with a run to keep it at a two-run contest.

After a scoreless sixth inning, the Eagles exploded for six runs in the top of the seventh. Chris Sinisi (Altoona, PA/Altoona Area) led the inning off with a double and Andre Pendleton (Penn Valley, PA/Harriton) walked to put runners on first and second with no outs. Joe Klusman (Wilmington, DE/St. Elizabeth) followed with a RBI single to score Sinisi. Pendleton stole third and came home on a wild pitch. Stubbs' double brought Klusman in. Terry hit a triple to score Stubbs.

After a pitching change by the Mariners, the Eagles still would not let up. Chris Schreder's (Lititz, PA/Lancaster Catholic) RBI triple and Anthony Lombardo's (Altoona, PA/Altoona Area) RBI single put the Eagles up 9-6.

USMMA would tie it a 9-all with a four-run seventh. In Juniata's portion of the eighth, Klusman scorched a double to right center with one out. Stubbs then singled up the middle to bring in Klusman and JC regained the lead, 10-9. The Mariners threaten in their half of the inning, but Wayne Hydak (Northern Versailles, PA/Serra Catholic) was able to get out of a one out bases loaded jam by getting a foul out and a pick off.

The Eagles did not do any damage in the top of the ninth and the game went to the bottom half of the inning. Steve Lucy reached on an error and Alex Gambino's sacrifice bunt moved Lucy to second. Grant Foley flied out to centerfield. Hydak then walked Jacob Sithong and was a strike from getting Zach De St. Germain out, but he reached on an error by Schreder and Lucy scored to tie the game at 10-10. With Sithong on third, Hydak tried to pick off De St. Germain on second, but his throw was off and Sithong scored to give the Mariners the improbable victory.

Jesse Beeler (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle-Antrim) started on the bump for Junaita and went 6.1 innings. He gave up 11 hits, seven runs, one walk, and struck out four. Caleb Pepperday (Phillisburg, PA/Phillipsburg-Osceola) lasted .2 innings and surrendered three hits, two runs, two walks, and struck out two. Hydak went 1.2 innings and gave up two unearned runs.

Stubbs batted 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and three RBIs. Terry went 3-for-6 with two triples, two RBIs, and a run scored. Schreder went 2-for-4 with a triple, one run scored, and a RBI. Klusman was also 2-for-4 with a double, two runs, and a RBI. Grace was the other Juniata player with a double and he finished the day 2-for-4 at the plate.

Juniata ends its Florida trip with a record of 4-5. The Eagles will return to the diamond this coming Wednesday March 18 when they travel to Gettysburg to take on the Bullets. Game time is schedule for 3:30 p.m.