Blue Jays Down Eagles With a Pair of Walk Offs

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.- The Juniata baseball team lost a pair of games in heart breaking fashion as Elizabethtown took both games on walk offs, 4-3 in game one on a two-run homer and 5-4 in game two on a double, Saturday afternoon at Boyd Stadium. 

Larry Corle (Martinsburg, Pa. / Central High School) smacked a one-out single to center, and Adam Kipp (Mt. Wolf, Pa. / Northeastern) walked to start things in the top of the first for the Eagles. Isaac Maclay (Belleville, Pa. / Mifflin County High School) followed with a blast over the left field fence to put JC up 3-0 early. 

It was a pitcher's duel from there, Gavin Grimaldi (Clymer, Pa. / Penns Manor) traded zeros with the home pitcher for the next four innings.

In the top of the sixth, the Blue Jays managed to scrape to runs together on a sacrifice fly to center and an RBI-single to right. 

The Blue Jays entered the bottom of the seventh down one, 3-2. Grimaldi got the first batter to ground out to short, walked the second and the third to fly out to right. The next batter was the final of the game as his homer was just fair to give Etown game one, 4-2.  

Game two saw the Eagles again strike first. 

In the top of the second, Jake Swank (Portage, Pa. / Portage) led off with a triple to left center and Ryan McClain drove him home with an RBI up the middle. 

In the third, Corle lined a one-out single to left center and was driven in by Kipp's double to right. Kipp advanced to third on a wild pitch before Maclay walked. Swank's sacrifice flyout to left scored Kipp as Juniata led 3-0. 

Hunter Price (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon Area) continued to bedevil the Etown batters as he kept them off the scored through six innings.  

In the top of the seventh, Maclay's single through the left side allowed Corle to score from second to push the JC advantage to 4-0. 

The Blue Jays used to a two-run homer to left in the seventh and an RBI-double to center in eight to cut the deficit to one. 

Juniata couldn't add to their lead in the top half of the ninth and that proved costly. With runners at first and second, a double to right-center allowed the runner from second to cross to tie the game. JC tried to get the second runner going first to third but overthrew the third baseman so the runner scored to end the game.  

Juniata wrap up their weekend series against Elizabethtown, tomorrow at 11:00.