SWARTHMORE, Pa.- One day after having its season opener cancelled by surprise snow storm, Eastern University Baseball earned a doubleheader split against Swarthmore College (2-2). The host Garnet took advantage of a six-run fourth to win the opener 7-4. The Eagles scored twice in the sixth and four times in the seventh to erase a 3-1 deficit and take the nightcap by an identical 7-4 score.

Junior first baseman Dave Prager gave the Eagles a short-lived 1-0 edge in the nightcap on a line shot over the right-center-field fence. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, he fouled off five pitches and took a couple wide ones before yanking out his second homer of the year. 

"Those are the kind of at bats," Eastern skipper Matt Midkiff noted, "that help you later in games." 

The Garnet tallied twice in the bottom of the first as Eastern starter Jim Edelman struck out a pair of batters to leave the bases loaded. The damage could have been a lot worse, but Dillon Schwartzer ranged deep in the hole to keep what would have been a two-RBI single in the infield and save a run. 

Swarthmore added a single tally in the third to push the lead to 3-1, and it appeared that the Garnet had scored another, but the Eagles won an appeal at third on a sacrifice fly to get out of the inning.

Prager smashed a single up the middle to start the fourth. The Eagles seemed poised to do damage with the bases loaded with one out in the inning. A pop-up and a strike out killed the rally, and Edelman went back to work.

The senior left-hander worked efficiently through the fourth and fifth to keep the Eagles in the game. Edelman (1-0) struck out four and allowed eight hits over six innings to pick up the win.

DeSarro started the Eastern rally in the sixth. The junior DH laced a double to right-center and advanced to third on Kristian Cortizo's single through the left side. Tyler Orr walked to load the bases with no one out. Freshman left-fielder Eric Rossi lefited a deep fly ball to right center for his first college RBI and Eric Smith lifted a fly ball down the right field line to tie the game.

"Those two at bats were big for us," Midkiff related, "Rossi and Smith put balls in play to score those big runs."

Edelman battled through the sixth to put the Eagles at bat with the top of the order coming up.

André Butler smoked a line drive to right center to get the rally started, and Brendan Spall moved him over with a bunt down the line. Swarthmore elected not to throw anything near the plate to Prager, and DeSarro took advantage with another hard-hit ball through the hole on the left side. Cortizo buggy-whipped a double down the left-field line to score Prager. 

By the time the smoke had cleared, the Eagles had a 7-3 lead with only three outs left to get. The first three Swarthmore hitters reached against John Taylor, but the senior closer was able to get through the inning with just one scored to secure the win. 

In the opener, Swarthmore took a 1-0 lead on a pair of first-inning extra-base hits. Eastern put a pair of runners on to start the third, but a fly out and a double play stalled the rally.

The Eagles had three hits and a walk in the fourth, but only managed a single tally on a Dillon Schwartzer single to short. The Swarthmore fourth started innocently enough with a ground out to first, but the inning went south in a hurry as the Garnet sent 11 batters to the plate and pushed the score to 7-1. 

Lucas Bremmerman came on in relief and was able to get the Eastern defense off the field.

Prager gave the Eagles room for hope in the top of the fifth with a towering two-run shot to right-center, but the Eastern attack could not manage another hit in the inning. Bremmerman worked efficiently through the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings and the Eagles again looked to have a little bit of a rally going as Prager knocked a two-out single to left and scored on DeSarro's deep single to center, but the rally came too late and the Eagles dropped the opener.

Prager paced the Eastern attack on the afternoon with four hits and 3 RBIs. DeSarro went 5-for-8 with a pair of RBIs.

"It was good to see the guys battle back," Midkiff noted, "We got good contributions from a lot of guys today, and I loved that we stayed with both games to the end."

The Eagles are back in action at Arcadia on Tuesday afternoon before opening at home against Muhlenberg on Wednesday afternoon.

Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box