WILKES-BARRE, Pa.- Eastern University Baseball scored five runs in the seventh inning to erase a 7-3 deficit and earn an important 10-8 win in the series-opener King's College. Anthony Messina delivered a bases-clearing triple in the inning to help the Eagles (10-12, 3-7) stay alive in the race for a Freedom Conference playoff spot.

Ben Melendez worked seven innings to pick up the win. The junior right-hander had good success early with only a single run allowed on four hits through the first four innings. The Monarchs(12-6, 3-5) however, scored four times in the fifth inning and twice more in the sixth to lead 7-3.

Eastern's answer came in the seventh.

Ryan McMenamin led off with a walk, and Tyler Orr reached on an error. With one out, Greg DeSarro slapped a ball through the right side to drive in his second run of the game. Angelo Kelly, hitting in the fifth spot in the order for the first time in his college career, reached on an error to drive in another run. After Andrew DiFerdinando reached to load the bases, Messina hit a ball to deep right center to to unload them. 

King's seemed poised to retake the lead in the bottom of the seventh with runners on second and third with one out, but Melendez (2-3) finished his day with a strikeout and a routine ground ball to third. Melendez gave up six earned on 12 hits, but he only walked one hitter and had 12 ground ball outs.

The Eastern offense provided a little cushion when Kelly delivered a two-RBI single with two outs in the top of the eighth. The first two Eastern base-runners reached on a walk and a hit batsman. Both base-runners moved into scoring position on a double steal. With his 3-RBI day, Kelly now has 11 on the year. 

Ryan Ellison came on in relief to start the eighth. The freshman right-hander struck out the first batter he faced and got the second man to pound a ball into the ground in front of the plate for a routine out. Monarch rightfielder Eric Boehm homered to right for his third hit of the day to put a little stress on Ellison, but he was able to get out of the eighth with a fly ball to center. 

The Monarchs put two runners on in the ninth, but Ellison again worked out of a jam and got King's center fielder Chris Sweeney to roll into a game-ending fielders choice.

"He struck him out the first time he saw him," head coach Jed Morris said of his decision to stay with the freshman against the top hitter for the Monarchs. "He [Sweeney] is a good hitter, but Ryan was throwing well, and I had a good feeling about it."

The same two teams meet tomorrow in St. Davids for the conclusion of the series. While there is still a ways to go in the conference season, the winner of the series will have a decided leg up in the race for a playoff spot.

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