BOX SCORE
Limeport, PA (April 29, 2010) – The DeSales University baseball team surrendered a 4-2 lead in the eighth inning allowing four runs in the top of the eighth inning via two walks and two errors, eventually falling to local rival Muhlenberg College, 6-4, in a non-conference game under the lights at Limeport Stadium.
The bright spot of the evening however came late in the game when it was announced that the DeSales University sports management class who marketed and promoted the game over the last month raised over $1,000, which was donated to the Lehigh Valley Miracle League.
The Bulldogs fall to 22-14 overall with the loss heading into their weekend showdown with FDU-Florham, needing to win the three-game series to earn the #1 seed in next week's Freedom Conference playoffs which begin on Wednesday, May 5th. Muhlenberg ends its season with a 17-19 overall record.
The Mules took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning but DSU tied the game at one in the bottom of the inning when junior Mike Newland (Frenchtown, NJ/Delaware Valley) hit a solo homer, his 10th of the season, to right-center field. The game remained scoreless into the sixth inning when Muhlenberg again took a one-run lead in the top of the inning but once again the Bulldogs responded as senior Derek Moyer (Harleysville, PA/Souderton) hit his eighth homer of the year, a two-run shot to left-center field staking DeSales to a 3-2 lead.
The Bulldogs tacked on one more run in the seventh, an unearned run, after the MC first baseman dropped the third out at first base on a ground ball to second base, but the Mules had the answer in the top of the eighth inning. MC loaded the bases with a single and two walks before junior Alex Brown (Nazareth, PA/Notre Dame) induced a 6-4-3 double play to potentially see his way out of the inning but three straight singles and two errors in the outfield allowing Muhlenberg to take extra bases cost the Bulldogs three more runs as MC took a 6-4 lead.
DSU then went in order in the bottom of the eighth inning and stranded a two-out walk in the ninth to end the game. Brown took the loss, his first of the year, pitching 0.2 innings allowing three hits and one earned run. DeSales had just six hits with Newland and Moyer recording the lone RBIs in the loss. Junior Travis Hughes (Levittown, PA/Conwell-Egan Catholic) pitched well, lasting six innings allowing just four hits and two runs, while striking out seven, receiving a no-decision.
The Bulldogs begin their three-game set with FDU-Florham on Friday afternoon as they travel to Madison, NJ for the first game at 3:30 pm.
