(Posted April 28, 2007)

READING, Pa. - The Juniata College baseball team had its hopes of a fourth-consecutive berth in the conference postseason come up short on Saturday as the Eagles split a conference doubleheader against Albright in Reading. Juniata won game one 4-1, but were no-hit in game two and fell by an 8-1 score in game two. Juniata (16-17-1, 9-10-1 Commonwealth) scored three times in the top of the seventh to earn a victory in game one, but were done in by one big inning from Albright (14-19, 9-12 Commonwealth in game two). With the score tied at one in the seventh of game one Dan Kauffman (Penn Manor/Conestoga) drilled a solo home run to start the innings. Later in the frame the Eagles would have two runs come home on a wild pitch to a take a 4-1 lead. Andrew Snyder (Punxsutawney/Punxsutawney) then worked around a lead-off single in the bottom of the inning to earn the complete-game win. Kauffman\'s home run was historic the junior established a new Juniata record for career home runs as the blast was the 28th of his career. He has six home runs on the season. Snyder went all seven innings, allowing one run on six hits while striking out three. Dan Johnson also went the distance for Albright as he surrendered four runs on just five hits while recording five strikeouts. Albright struck first in the game as Jason Dunkelberger knocked out a solo home run in the bottom of the first to give the home team a quick 1-0 lead. Juniata answered back in the top of the second with Andrew Kriss (John Carroll/Forest Hill, Md.) belting the first home run of his career to tie the game. Neither team scored again until Juniata\'s rally in the seventh. Five different Eagles had one hit in the game, while Andrew Sieracki had a pair of hits for Albright. In game two, the Lions scored five runs in the bottom of the second to take a commanding lead which was plenty for starter Tim Flannery who held Juniata hitless over seven innings despite issuing nine walks. He fanned eight in the game. Jim Nuskey delivered a three-run home run in the second inning, and two batters later Evan Wasserman launched a two-run shot to quickly put the home team on top. An RBI single from Nuskey in the third made it 6-0 Lions and chased Juniata starter Tyler Clifford (Homer-Center/Homer City) from the game. Dunkelberger singled home a run in the fourth and Jeff Kulp followed with a run-scoring double to give Albright an 8-0 lead. Juniata got its lone run in the seventh as Kauffman drove home a run with a groundout. Clifford got tagged with the loss for Juniata as he went 2 2-3 innings, allowing six runs on five hits. Tyler Brown (Southern Huntingdon/Orbisonia) tossed two innings of scoreless relief. Nuskey had two hits and four RBI for Albright, while Kulp also had a pair of hits. Juniata will complete the season on Sunday when the Eagles face Widener in a single nine-inning game at Widener. ###

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.