Eagles Hang on to Earn Split with Blue Jays

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata baseball team split on the day with Elizabethtown, losing 10-6 before hanging on for a 7-6 victory, Tuesday afternoon at Langdon-Goodale Field.

Elizabethtown got one run across the plate on an RBI single down the left field line. The Eagles would counter with three runs of their own in the bottom of the second. 

Michael Warren (New Berlin, Pa. / Mifflinburg Area) was hit by a pitch with one out and Sam Craig (Mullica Hill, N.J. / Kingsway Regional) walked. An error by the second baseman allowed Ben Raab (Langhorne, Pa. / Neshaminy) to reach safely while Craig got to third and Warren scored. Joshua Gery (Pottstown, Pa. / Pottstown Senior High School) scored Craig with a sac fly to right. Raab got to second on a wild pitch, Evan Mock (Mifflin County, Pa / McVeytown) was hit by a pitch, and Ryan McClain (Hughesville, Pa. / Hughesville) walked to load the bases. Isaac Maclay (Belleville, Pa. / Mifflin County High School) smacked a single to left, which scored Mock and Raab to make it 4-1.  

The Blue Jays used three hits in the top of the fourth to tie things back at 4-4, and an RBI-single to left put the visitors back in the lead at 5-4. They really got some separation in the fifth, as they tallied five runs behind four hits and an error to make it 10-4. 

Sacrifice flies from Warren in the seventh, and Raab in the ninth completed the scoring as the Blue Jays took game one. 

Game two had a much more positive start as Chase Alessandroni (Royersford, Pa. / Springford) got through the top of the first 1-2-3, and Swank drove in McClain the bottom half of the inning to make it 1-0.  

The Eagles did damage in the second inning, as Raab singled and Gery walked with one out. With two outs, McClain singled to right center to score Raab, and McClay's single allowed Gery to score. Maclay got all the way to third on an error by the first baseman while McClain crossed the plate, and Dakotah Snyder (Lewisburg, Pa. / Lewisburg) singled to right to plate Maclay and make it 5-0 JC. 

In the bottom of the fourth, Mock singled to short and stole second. With two outs, Snyder singled to right to score Mock, and Swank, followed by roping a double down the left field line to make it 7-0. The Blue Jays did not go quietly, however.  

They began their rally slowly, scoring a run on a sac fly in the fifth and the second on an RBI-single to right in the sixth. 

In the seventh, they loaded the bases with no outs. Nic Flaherty (Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg)struck out the next batter, the following Blue Jay hitter reached on an error, and one run scored. Flaherty struck out the next batter to get to two outs but hit the next batter to make it 7-4. A two-run single to right made it 7-6, and Ari Lonstein (Ellenville, N.Y. / Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School) came in. He induced a groundout to short to end the game and get his first save. 

Alessandroni picked up the win, going 6.0 innings while allowing seven hits, two runs to go with two strikeouts. 

Juniata is off this weekend before they travel to Drew, April 24^th. The first pitch is at 1:00.