Eagles Split with Cardinals on Day Two, Taking the Final Game in Extras

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Juniata baseball team split the back half of their series with Catholic, losing 10-7 before winning 11-5 in extras, to win the season series Saturday afternoon. It was the first time they won a conference series since 2016. 

Dakotah Snyder (Lewisburg, Pa. / Lewisburg) got things started for Juniata by bopping two-out solo home-run to left in the first. In the third, Evan Mock (Mifflin County, Pa / McVeytown) and Ryan McClain (Hughesville, Pa. / Hughesville) both walked. Snyder took care of the rest, smashing his second home-run of the game and increasing the lead to 4-0. 

The Cardinals got one back on an RBI-single through the left side in the bottom of the inning, but the Eagles countered with two runs in the top of the fourth as McClain walked with the bases loaded and a run scored on Isaac Maclay's (Belleville, Pa. / Mifflin County High School) fielder's choice as Juniata led 7-1.

Catholic went for five runs in the fifth to get within one. They made their move in the eight, as they struck for four runs highlighted by a two-run triple to take the lead 10-7 and eventually win the first game. 

Game two saw Juniata once again get on the board first. In the third, Snyder singled to center to score Mock and Jake Swank (Portage, Pa. / Portage) doubled to center to score McClain. The Cardinals tied things in the bottom half of the inning as they scored on a passed ball and a wild pitch.  

A Mock RBI-single to right field scored Sam Craig (Mullica Hill, N.J. / Kingsway Regional), but a Cardinal RBI single to left once again tied the score at three. 

A Ben Raab (Langhorne, Pa. / Neshaminy) sac fly to left allowed Michael Warren (New Berlin, Pa. / Mifflinburg Area) to tag up, and Joshua Gery (Pottstown, Pa. / Pottstown Senior High School) singled up the middle to score Craig. Catholic struck late, as in the bottom of the seventh with their final out they scored two runs on an error to force extra innings.  

Juniata didn't back down, as they took advantage of five Catholic errors to score six runs. Ari Lonstein (Ellenville, N.Y. / Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School) got through the bottom half of the extra-inning pretty easily. He induced a ground out to third and struck out the next batter. He walked the next and the runner got to second on a passed ball, but a groundout to short ended the game and got the Eagles the win.  

Lonstein went 3.2 innings to get the win in relief for JC, allowing one hit with two runs, two walks, and striking out three. 

Now at .500, Juniata will go to Elizabethtown next Saturday. The first pitch is at 12:30.