Eastern University Baseball rallied twice to sweep today's home doubleheader and the three-game MAC Freedom Series with Wilkes. Ryan Kehr struck out seven in six innings of work to lead the Eagles to a 10-2 win in the opener, and Nick Centeno pitched three and two thirds innings of scoreless relief to earn the 5-3 win in the nightcap. Though it is early, the Eagles (6-6-2, 3-0 MAC Freedom) are alone atop the league standings for the first time since the program moved into the MAC Freedom.
Wilkes put the Eagles on their heels early in the opener. A leadoff single by shortstop Matt Reese gave the Colonels a chance to start their running game. A stolen base and an error put a a runner on third. Jarret Clymer knocked a solid single to drive in the first run of the day. Clymer then stole second and third and advanced on a swinging bunt from Joe Champi. Kehr struck out the next batter and escaped the inning on a nice running catch by Angelo Kelly in right field. The junior right-hander would allow only three more base-runners the rest of his outing.
The Eastern offense was unable to score off Wilkes' starter Marcus Leaf in each of the first two innings, but the Eastern hitters took their toll with several multi-pitch at bats. Leaf had thrown over 60 pitches entering the bottom of the third inning.
The patience paid off.
After Timmy Gorton grounded out to start the third, Joe Grato coaxed a walk in an eight-pitch at bat. Joe DeLos Santos singled to keep the rally going before Andrew Boykin walked on seven pitches to load the bases. Andrew Check tied the game with a two-run double to the base of the wall in left.
Wilkes went to the bullpen. Forrest Jordan retired the first hitter he faced, but Craig Stanley delivered a two-out single to give the Eagles the lead for good.
Angelo Kelly singled and scored on a Grato single in the fourth before the Eagles broke the game open with a four-run fifth.
Boykin, Check and Shane Albertson singled to load the bases. Stanley chopped a two-run single up the middle to give the Eagles a 6-2 lead. Jordan Laboy reached on a fielders choice to load the bases for Kelly.
Often players on hot streaks see bounces go their way. Kelly, who stretched his season-opening hitting streak to 14 games, is on one of those hot streaks. The junior right-fielder hit a perfectly placed dribbler to the right of the mound to knock in the seventh run of the game. Kelly, Eastern's lead-off hitter, is now hitting .439 with 18 runs scored. He has struck out only twice in 62 plate appearances this spring. The Eagles picked up the final run of the inning on a throwing error.
Wilkes had a baserunner reach on a walk with one out in the sixth before the Eastern defense turned a 6-4-3 double play to get Kehr out of the jam.
Laboy drove home Check and Ben Kraihanzel with a two-out double in the bottom of the sixth for the final margin. Joe Clancy pitched a perfect seventh to preserve the win.
The Colonels again jumped to the lead in game two. The visitors scored single runs off Eastern starter Josh Freed in each of the first three innings. While two of those runs were unearned, Eastern Head Coach Jed Morris elected to go to his bullpen for Centeno after the Colonels had a runner reach with one out in the top of the fourth. The first Wilkes' batter against Centeno pulled a single through the left side, but the sophomore right-hander picked off the lead runner and induced a ground ball to end the rally.
The Eastern offense, meanwhile, had not had a runner reach base against Wilkes' starter Chris Nixon.
"Our approach for the second game," Morris noted, " was pretty much the opposite. While we wanted to see a strike in the first game, we felt that Nixon had some very good secondary pitches and we wanted to see if we could get a fastball early in the counts."
The Eagles finally got to Nixon in the fourth. Kelly, again, started the action with a hard single to right. Gorton hit a single to center and Grato doubled to plate Kelly. DeLos Santos then tied the game with a single up the middle. The Eagles proceeded to load the bases to again force the Colonels into their bullpen. Laboy drew a walk to give the Eagles the lead for good.
Gorton drove home the final run of the day on a ground-rule double to right in the sixth, and Centeno struck out two hitters in the top of the seventh to preserve the 5-3 win.
Morris was very pleased with his pitchers through the series and feels confident that going forward that his bullpen arms will be ready for specific match-ups. "Our motto for the year, " he said, "is 'it is very important to learn how to light a fire with just one match, because someday you may only have one match."
The Eagles had several players shine in the first league series of the year. Boykin had six hits in ten at bats, and Kelly scored five runs while going 7-for-13. Gorton was 6-for-12 with a pair of doubles and DeLos Santos drove in seven with his four hits.
Next, the Eagles (6-6-2, 3-0) will face Misericordia, the defending conference champions, in a three-game set starting with a single home game on Wednesday.