Quakertown, PA, (May 5, 2006) – The longest game in DeSales University baseball history ended on a sour note as King’s College scored its second run of the game in the bottom of the 15^th inning to take home a 2-1 win and advance to the winner’s bracket game on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 pm.

 

        The game was a pitcher’s duel right till the very end between both staffs.  The Bulldogs (21-18 overall) took a 1-0 lead on the very first pitch of the game as sophomore Andrew Heard (Alexandria, VA/Hayfield) hit his first home run of the season over the left-field wall.  No one in the stadium would have predicted that run would be the last DSU would score, especially if you said the game was going to go 15 innings, but that’s exactly what happened.

 

        For five innings it looked as if that one run would be all DeSales needed as the Monarchs (23-14 overall) were held scoreless thru five frames.  In the sixth, they tied the score at one on a two-out single from Nick Sorino plating Caleb Calarco.

 

        Over the next eight innings, both teams had several chances to take the lead or score the game-winning run.  For the game, the Bulldogs left 10 men on-base and the Monarchs stranded 18 runners, but KC finally broke thru in the 15^th.  Rob Medlock started the inning with a single up the middle.  Jeremy Faust was recorded out on an interference call on a ground ball down the first-base line, but Josh Faust hit a screaming line drive up the middle to give KC runners on first and second and one out.

 

        Head Coach Tim Neiman made the move to the bullpen, replacing freshman Andrew Kulhamer (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) with senior Joe Chapman (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) and Vince Budzyn greeted Chapman with a ground ball up the middle that was stopped by a diving Greg Treat (Concord, NH/Concord) but the ball kicked away from him and the runner was sent home beating the throw from Treat and giving King’s the 2-1 win.

 

        Medlock earned the win pitching two innings of relief striking out two and not allowing a hit.  Medlock replaced junior Paul Giovannoli, who did the impossible, pitching 13 innings, scattering 12 hits and allowing just the one run.  He struck out eight and continually worked out of trouble especially early in the game when DeSales had two runners on base in both the second and third inning and failed to score.  Offensively, Calarco finished the game going 4-for-6 with a run scored.

 

        Sophomore JT Brotosky (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) and Kulhamer each pitched brilliantly in the loss.  Brotosky went seven innings, allowing just six hits and the one run and Kulhamer totaled five innings allowing six hits and one run to go along with six strikeouts.

 

        Offensively for the Bulldogs, Heard finished the game 3-for-7 with a solo home run and sophomore Scott Matejicka (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) was 4-for-6 with two doubles.  The Bulldogs seemed destined to break the 1-1 tie in the 14^th when Matejicka led off with a double, but freshman pinch-runner Pat Campbell (Bellerose Village, NY/Archbishop Molloy) was thrown out trying to steal third base after a failed slash attempt.

 

        In game one, the #4 seed Drew University upset the top seed, FDU-Florham, 5-4.  The Rangers (16-21 overall) scored three times in the third inning to take a 3-1 lead and never trailed the rest of the way.  Junior Matt Hicks led Drew at the plate going 2-for-5 with three RBI’s including a two-run home run in the third inning.

 

        Senior Joe Henrikson hit a solo home run for the Rangers and junior Joe Cardinale knocked in one run and had two hits in the win.  For the Devils (19-19 overall) sophomore Dan Bellino was 2-for-4 with three RBI’s and freshman Ricky Marinello was 2-for-4 with a solo home run.  Junior Justin Distler earned the win going 8.1 innings allowing 12 hits and four runs.  Junior Jonathan Murelli recorded the final two outs to garner his fourth save of the season.  Sophomore Ryan Flannery took the loss going eight innings allowing seven hits and four runs.