Commanding Blue Jays Offense Completes Sweep of Eagles

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.- Six Elizabethtown runs in the first two innings proved the downfall for the Juniata baseball team, as Elizabethtown completed the series sweep with a 12-4 defeat of the Eagles on Tuesday afternoon. 

Evan Mock went 2-for-3 with a double, while Chatram Persaud contributed a pinch-hit double for 2 RBI on the day. Other RBI came from Michael Warren (1-for-3, 1 RBI) and Sebastian Tringali (0-for-1, 1 RBI, 1 BB). Corey Daniels went 1-for-2 with a pair of stolen bases. 

Juniata's pitching was tagged for 18 hits, 11 earned runs, a walk, and just two strikeouts in the contest. The Juniata defense conceded zero errors. 

Mock opened the game with a two-out double to right center in the top of the first before the Blue Jays generated a groundout. Etown then struck for five runs in the first inning on six hits, including two doubles, four singles, and a walk. One inning later, three straight singles produced one more run before a one-out double play ended the frame up 6-0. 

Juniata went down in order in the third inning, then Elizabethtown got a runner to third with two outs via a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch before a popout ended the inning. 

Juniata found their first run in the fourth inning, as Daniels and Mock opened the inning with singles. Elizabethtown then earned a double play on a groundball to the shortstop, nearly killing the rally. Joey Allegrini kept the inning alive with a walk to get runners on the corners; then Warren singled to the left side before a groundout ended the inning. 

The Blue Jays opened the fourth inning with a solo home run to right field and got two more runners aboard with one out before back-to-back foul popouts gave Juniata an escape. 

A two-out Elizabethtown rally gave them two more runs in the fifth inning to go ahead 9-1; then they found their final three in the sixth inning via a two-run home run with no outs and a two-out single to score a runner from second base. 

Juniata's final three runs came with one out in the seventh inning. Matthew Quigley and Caden Collins singled, then Charlie Bakken walked to load the bases. Tringali then earned a bases-loaded walk to score one. Persaud proceeded with a two-run double before the Blue Jays collected back-to-back swinging K's.  

Juniata got a runner aboard in the eighth and ninth innings but could make nothing of it for a 12-4 loss. 

The Eagles get a mid-week reset before traveling to play Scranton at Volpe Field on Saturday, April 1, and Sunday, April 2. The first pitch of game one on Saturday is slated for noon.