ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Either way, today was going to be a big day for Eastern University Baseball. Originally scheduled for a neutral site, today's home doubleheader against Elmira College moved back onto campus and into a freshly remodeled yard. The Eagles enjoyed their new accommodations and swept the visiting Soaring Eagles, 9-1 and 12-10.
Eastern jumped out to big leads in both games. After
Ryan Kehr (1-0) retired the visitors in order in the top of the inning, Eastern knocked seven consecutive hits to start the bottom half of the inning. By the time the smoke had cleared, Eastern had eight runs on 10 hits and Kehr had a nice cushion.
Anglo Kelly started the rally with a single. The speedy rightfielder finished the afternoon with five hits and five runs scored. Kelly scored on a
Timmy Gorton double. Gorton followed him home on a throwing error.
Joe Grato tripled to the deepest part of the park in right center and scored on a Joe DeLos Santos single.
Craig Stanley beat out bunt single and
Andrew Check doubled to right center to knock in DeLos Santos.
Kyle Daddario drove home both Check and Stanley with a sharp single up the middle. After Elmira starter Andy Reed got the next two Eastern hitters, Kelly picked up his second hit of the inning to keep the rally alive. Gorton knocked home Daddario to force a call to the bullpen.
Grato completed the rally with a single to center.
The eight run lead was more than enough for Kehr. The junior right-hander scattered five hits over five innings and struck out four to pick up the win.
Grant Fisher and Andrew Benham each worked scoreless innings in relief to close out game one.
Nick Sampogna worked five and a third effective innings in relief for Elmira.
The Eagles sent eight men to the plate in a three-run first inning in game two. Kelly doubled and scored on Gorton's single.
Andrew Boykin and
Connor Beaudoin had RBI singles in the inning as well.
Elmira grabbed a run back in the top of the second off Eastern starter
Josh Freed, but the Eastern bats would have his back.
Jake Bunjo walked and stole second before Kelly drove a triple to the base of the new outfield fence. Gorton, who finished the doubleheader 4-for-8, picked up his second RBI of game two with a single to left. Grato hit a flare to center for a hit and DeLos Santos filled the bases with a solid single up the middle.
With the bases loaded, Check knew he was going to see a pitch to hit. The senior centerfielder saw his pitch and did not miss it. In doing so, he became the first player to hit a ball over the new 10-foot fence in left. His grand slam cleared the fence a few feet to the right of the scoreboard in left to put the Eagles up 9-1 for the second time.
Elmira scored twice in the top of the fourth, but the Eagles grabbed those runs right back on RBI singles from Connor Beuadoin and
Peter Crawford.
Freed retired a pair of batters in the fifth before running into some trouble on an infield hit, a flare to the opposite field, and an error. After three runs were in,
Jarrid Kosa (1-1) came on to strike out the final batter of the fifth. Kosa would pick up the win for his efforts.
Grato doubled home Kelly in the bottom of the fifth to put the Eagles up 12-6 and Kosa cruised through the sixth inning. The seventh inning, however, provided a little stress for the home side.
Elmira scored four times and had runners on first and second with only one out against
Matt Bunjo. The freshman reliever picked up the save when he induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
In addition to the new fence and warning track, The Yard is now a much better place to watch baseball. Fans can get better seats on the hill with the home bullpen behind the right field fence. Eastern relievers are able to watch the game from an elevated bench over the six-foot portion of the fence in right-center.
The Eagles (3-6-1) will look to keep their winning ways going when they host Cairn University on Tuesday.
