Eagle Baseball Rally Falls Just Short
(Posted March 31, 2005)
Lebanon Valley 8, Juniata 7 (10 innings)
Huntingdon, Pa. ? The Juniata College baseball team delivered several big hits in its conference outing at Lebanon Valley Thursday, but the home team had the biggest hit as the Flying Dutchmen got a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th to deal Juniata an 8-7 set-back in Annville. The loss drops Juniata to 14-9 overall and 6-4 in Commonwealth action. Lebanon Valley improves to 9-6 on the year and 1-4 in conference play.
Trailing 7-4 after seven innings, Juniata fought back to tie the score at seven with three runs in the top of the eighth. A double and a pair of walks loaded the bases, and Matt Garner (Bellwood-Antis/Bellwood) cleared the bases with a triple to tie the score.
Jeff Hayes (Lewistown/Lewistown) kept the game tied with three innings of solid relief work. After coming on in the seventh, he pitched a perfect eighth and ninth inning to send the game to extra innings. Juniata put runners on in both the ninth and 10th innings, but couldn?t push across the go-ahead run.
Lebanon Valley then sent pinch-hitter Christopher Schank to lead-off the bottom of the 10th and he delivered a game-winning solo home run.
Taylor Sgrignoli pitched 2 1-3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win.
Juniata took an early 4-0 lead in the top of the second. A Zach Sternberg (McCaskey/Lancaster) single and a pair of walks loaded the bases with one out. Jason Enoch (Hempfield/Landisville) followed with his first career home run.
Lebanon Valley answered back with three runs of Juniata start Jayme Fye (Philipsburg-Osceola/Philipsburg). Scot Montgomery hit a three-run home run in the inning. The home team then added single runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings to build its 7-4 advantage.
Juniata?s defensive struggles continued as the Eagles committed six errors in the game, leading to three unearned runs.
Garner finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBI. Enoch?s grand slam was the first of the season for Juniata.
Juniata and Lebanon Valley will get back in action on Saturday when the team?s get together for a doubleheader in Huntingdon.
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