Center Valley, PA (April 15, 2011) – Before anyone could blink the DeSales University baseball team took a 5-0 lead in the first inning but King's College answered back with 10 consecutive runs to take a 10-5 lead before settling for a 10-7 win over the Bulldogs in Freedom Conference action on Friday afternoon at Butz Field.

DSU (13-10, 8-3 Freedom) took control of this game very early when the first five batters in the bottom of the first inning reached base and scored as junior Ethan Moser hit a three-run home run that capped off a bloop double from junior Jack Kavetski, a walk by junior Nick Chiovitti, a bunt single from senior Doc Neiman, and a single up the middle by junior Jason Hadinger.

Sophomore David Drinks cruised thru the first three innings but King's got on the board in the fourth, scoring an unearned run after junior Chris Zucchi allowed the lead-off batter to reach base on a throwing error to first base.

Errors again came into play in the fifth as the Monarchs (9-15-1, 4-7-1 Freedom) scored four times to tie the score at five. Two straight hits started the inning and put runners on second and third, when Drinks induced a ground ball to first base for what appeared to be the first out, but Hadinger saw the ball glance off his glove and squirt to second base as a run scored and put runners on the corners.

Another single plated the second run when the next Monarch sent a ground ball to third base that ricocheted off freshman Charles Dennis and into foul ground as another run scampered home, making it a 5-4 game. Mike Fignar singled thru the left-side one batter later to tie the score at five with still no one out, before Drinks rallied to retire the final three hitters and keep the game tied at five.

The Bulldog offense on the other hand was unable to figure out KC's reliever, Brenton Eades, who entered at the start of the second inning after DSU's big first inning sporting a 10.87 ERA in seven previous appearances this season. Eades however allowed just one hit thru the sixth inning, allowing King's a chance to chip away at the lead.

In the top of the seventh inning, the Monarchs sent nine men to the plate and belted six hits off sophomore Dan Gayeski to the tune of five runs to take that 10-5 lead. DeSales got its offense going in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring two runs, but a miraculous running catch by the Monarchs' Fignar in deep right-center field prevented any more damage after a deep fly ball off the bat of sophomore Brian Mauro was just a lazy sacrifice fly instead of a bases clearing double as it appeared off the bat.

DSU left the bases loaded in the seventh when Dennis struck out swinging to end the frame. Junior Travis Hughes sent the Monarchs down without any further damage in both the eighth and ninth innings but the Bulldogs managed just two more base runners off Joey Troxell who pitched the final 2.1 innings, striking out four to earn the save.

Gayeski took the loss for DeSales, allowing five runs in his one relief inning. Kavetski finished 2-for-3 with two more runs scored, Neiman scored twice, and Hadinger had two hits in the loss. Drinks' line read six innings, eight hits, just two earned runs, and six strikeouts.

DeSales will now need a sweep of the road doubleheader at King's to take the series. The doubleheader is still scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but if the predicted weather rolls thru the area tomorrow, the games will likely be moved to Sunday afternoon at King's.