Ramon Reyes launched his second home run of the year to lift the Eagles to their 18th win of the 2010 campaign. The win ties the program record set in 2001.

In a game where the two teams combined for 34 runs and 33 hits, it would seem inappropriate to lead with pitching, but in many ways, the Eastern bullpen was the difference. With his team trailing 15-6, Eastern senior Zach Clouser took the ball and worked four and two thirds innings as the Eagles worked their way back into the game. Clouser allowed just one run on three hits in his second longest outing of the year. 

"Zach did exactly what we needed him to do." Eastern pitching coach Dave Lorber commented, "He hit spots and with the exception of the one home run, he did a great job keeping them off balance. He gave our hitters a chance to win the game." 

Eastern scored six runs in an extended seventh inning, and then tied the game with four more runs in the eighth. Clouser worked out of a bases loaded spot in the ninth before giving way to Nick Davoulas to start the tenth. When Davoulas got in a spot, Lorber made the move to bring in Ernie Stiegler. The freshman right-hander struck out the first batter he faced and, after getting ahead in the count to the second batter, induced an inning-ending fielders choice. Stiegler picked up his first career win with the effort.

The Eagles had threatened in the ninth, but the rally ended with Dan Garcia on deck. The Eastern second baseman led off the tenth with a towering blast to the left field fence. Even with the out in his final at bat, the Eastern second baseman scored three times and drove in three. He cracked a solo homer in the fourth and a two-run double in the seventh. With the double, he became the second Eastern player in program history to reach the fifty hit mark in a season. 

After Garcia's noisy out, junior first baseman Mike McNulty drilled a double to the left filed corner to put a runner in scoring position with one out. After Jim Crowley pinch ran for the big first-baseman, Reyes lined a fastball on the outer half over the right-center field fence for the game-winner.

Today's win is the fifth walk-off of the Spring for the Eagles. Coach Midkiff's Squad (18-12) is now 12-2 in home games for the 2010 season. This comes one year after a three win campaign. 

Reyes finished with 4 RBIs, and sophomore shortstop Scott Renauro knocked in five as he became the first player in program history to reach 50 hits in a season with a 4-5 effort. He had a double and a home run. Renauro also walked twice to lift his on base percentage to .581. The sophomore shortstop is posting Nintendo style numbers with a .481 batting average and .784 slugging percentage through thirty games with a team-high 35 RBIs.

"There were a lot of reasons to pack things up today," Lorber commented after the game, "but the guys kept believing and we improved our approach at the plate as we started to believe. Zach and Ernie were really good out of the pen, and we did a nice job getting it to the next guy on offense."

The Eagles are still alive in the Freedom Conference Playoff race. They have a big conference series with Wilkes that starts tomorrow. A mid-game rain shower and a series of unearned runs in the middle innings did not deter the Eastern squad as they believed they could win and battled back.

The Eagles mashed a season-best four home runs on the day. Joel Rios hit a two-run blast in the fourth right before Garcia's solo shot. They did not, however, limit themselves to just playing for the long ball. Throughout the line-up, the Eastern players were willing to take walks or do what was necessary to keep ralllies going. Fifteen Eastern batters reached first via walks or getting hit by a pitch, and the strain on the Arcadia pitching staff certainly helped to get the Eagles back into the game.

The Eagles are at Wilkes tomorrow for the series opener. They are scheduled to host the Colonels for two on Saturday. The Eagles will need to win the final two series of the year to keep their post-season hopes alive.

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