OWINGS MILLS, Md. - On the final day of the 2024 season, Eastern Baseball earned its second conference sweep with 7-4 and 11-8 victories over the Stevenson Mustangs. With the victories, the Eagles end their campaign with 20 wins, a 10-game improvement from last season. However, with Alvernia's loss to York in game two of their doubleheader in Reading, the Eagles just missed out on the MAC Commonwealth Tournament.
In his final start as an Eagle in game one,
John Beck pitched a complete game gem, tying his career-high with 10 strikeouts in his fourth win of the season and his 12th career victory. He received a lot of support, as the Eagles recorded eight hits and scored five runs in the first inning to take a lead they would not relinquish.
Eastern loaded the bases in the first inning on walks to
Thomas Kozlusky and
Evan Barks along with a single for
Garrett Friend.
Luke Meehan drove home Eastern's first two runs on a double to right field, and
Logan Klember followed with a sacrifice bunt to score Barks. Meehan later scored on a Stevenson fielding error, and Leyton Bameberger capped off the scoring with an RBI single to right field, putting the Eagles ahead 5-0.
Meehan his his third RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly in the second inning, and Barks drove in Eastern's final run in the fourth on an RBI single up the middle.
Becks dominated the first four innings, not giving up a hit until a Dalton Reinhart double in the fifth. The Mustangs made their push in the seventh, recording four runs on five hits, but Beck stood tall, finishing out the contest and securing the victory. Friend and Barks each finished with a pair of hits in the win.
Stevenson struck first in game two, plating a run in the bottom of the third, but the Eagles answered with two runs in the fourth to take a lead they would not relinquish.
Ryan Turzani scored Meehan on a sacrifice bunt, and Bamesberger scored Schilling on an RBI single to put the Eagles ahead 2-1.
Eastern exploded for six runs in the sixth to increase their advantage to 8-1. Turzani began the rally with a two-run single to right field, before doubles from
Jason Hall and Kozlusky push the lead to 7-1. Friend capped off the scoring with a single to right field, scoring Kozlusky.
John Westfield (1-2) pitched an effective 3.2 innings in relief for the Eagles, earning his first win of the season. The sophomore from Northeast Philadelphia gave up just three hits and only two runs with one strikeout.
Eastern added three important insurance runs in the eighth on a bases loaded hit by pitch on
Joe Paradise, a Klember sacrifice fly, and another Turzani RBI single, his fourth RBI of the game. The Mustangs made their push in the ninth, scoring four runs on four hits and one Eastern error, but with the bases loaded,
Roy Corso shut the door, inducing a game-winning groundout to secure Eastern's 20th win and his first career save.
Meehan finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Schilling, Turzani, and Bamesberger each finished with two knocks.
Eastern ends its season with a 20-19 record and a 10-11 mark in MAC Commonwealth play.
