WILKES-BARRE, Pa.- Things had not gone well for Eastern University Baseball all day. The Eagles had given up 10 runs in the second inning of game one to fall 13-5 to host King's, and Coach Midkiff's squad was three outs away from dropping the nightcap and the series by a 7-2 score. After a run scored on a walk, and another came home on an error, a bases clearing double from Devon Ziegunfuss tied the game at 7-7. Eastern (12-6, 4-2 Freedom) scored three times in the top of the ninth to earn the 10-7 win and take the series.

Eastern briefly held a 2-0 lead in game two after two-out rally in the third inning. Scott Renauro walked and Dave Prager moved him along with a single before Greg DeSarro doubled to drive in a pair. DeSarro finished game two with three RBI's and had three hits and four RBIs on the day.  

The Monarchs chipped away with single runs in the third and fourth innings. They grabbed the lead with a three run fourth, and extended their edge to 7-2 on a Chris Sweeny home run in the sixth. 

Dillon Schwartzer, André Butler, Renauro, and Prager walked to start the decisive 7th, after DeSarro reached on a run-scoring error, Ziegunfuss came to the plate with one out. The junior outfielder found a gap in left to plate all three Eastern base-runners. The Monarchs were able to retire the next two Eastern hitters to force the game into extra innings. In 2011, the two teams played to a 1-1 tie over 15 innings, and with a light rain beginning to fall, that result became more and more of a possibility. 

Eastern closer John Taylor (1-1) took the ball in the bottom of the seventh knowing he would need to get at least six outs for the win. Taylor turned in three scoreless to pick up the victory in relief. He had a little room to work with in the bottom of the ninth after his teammates scored three in the top of the inning. DeSarro scored what turned out to be the game-winning run on a balk, and Ziegunfuss delivered an RBI triple for a little cushion. Kristian Cortizo came through with a sacrifice fly to finish the scoring. 

Taylor struck out three and walked only one in his three innings of work in relief. Eastern starter Ernie Stiegler allowed a pair of runs in four innings of work.

"We stayed around and just kept after it until we hit a gapper," Eastern Head Coach Matt Midkiff related, "Winning series is really important, so to come back and get game two was enormous for us." The Eagles have won their first two league series to start the year.

Game one saw the Eagles jump out of the gate with a two-run first. Prager and DeSarro each delivered RBIs. That lead, however, was short-lived as King's put together a big inning in the second.

"Everything that could have gone wrong in that inning," Midkiff related, "did go wrong. We made errors, we got some bad hops, and we did not make plays to stop the bleeding. If we could have ended the inning having allowed four or five, then it still a game, but we couldn't get off the field."

Brenton Eades (3-1) went the distance for the Monarchs to pick up the win. The Eagles are back in action at home on Wednesday with a non-league game over Maine- Presque Isle.