Center Valley, PA, (April 25, 2006) – The DeSales University baseball team dropped its second straight Freedom Conference series, splitting a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon at Butz Field thus giving Drew University the season series after the Rangers opened the series with a win on Friday night.
The Bulldogs (16-15, 7-6 Freedom) took game one, 9-2, and after tying the second game at six entering the sixth inning, allowed a three-run home run to dead centerfield in the top of the sixth and were unable to make up the deficit falling 9-6 in the night cap. Drew improves to 14-18 overall and 8-7 in the Freedom standings.
Senior Matt Reppert (Allentown, PA/Dieruff) was the story in game one as he scattered 10 hits and allowed just two runs (one earned) to improve to 3-2 on the season. The win is Reppert’s 26th career victory making him the all-time leader in wins at DeSales University. He passes Bret Remel with 25 wins.
DSU had some timely hitting in game one as freshman Mike Pennington (Dresher, PA/LaSalle College) and sophomore Andrew Heard (Alexandria, VA/Hayfield) each had two-out, two RBI hits in the win. Pennington finished the game 3-for-3 with those two RBI’s and a run scored as eight of the nine Bulldog starters had at least one hit and one run scored.
In game two, DSU took an early 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning on RBI singles from freshman Mike Bianca (Ellicott City, MD/Mt. St. Joseph) and Pennington but the Rangers tied the game at two in the second with a solo home run off the bat of Paul Kierstead to dead centerfield.
The Rangers continued to lead 5-3 entering the bottom of the fourth when senior Derek Miller (Green Lane, PA/Upper Perkiomen) blasted a two-run shot to right-center field for his first home run of the season tying the game at five. Each team scratched out a run in the fifth inning before Drew took the lead for good in the sixth when Joe Cardinale capped off his 4-for-4 performance in game two with a three-run home run to centerfield that glanced off Miller’s glove and over the fence.
Junior Jon Kensecki (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) took the loss, his first of the season, allowing just one hit, the three-run shot to Cardinale, in two innings of work. Jonathan Murelli earned the win in relief going 3.2 innings allowing just one hit and one run.
Heard was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, Miller was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI’s and Pennington was 2-for-3 with two RBI’s in the game two loss.
DSU returns to action on Wednesday evening when they travel to Limeport Stadium to take on local rival Moravian College in a non-conference game beginning at 7:00 pm. The game is scheduled to be televised LIVE on Service Electric Cable TV, channel 2 locally.
