(Posted April 30, 2008)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- The Juniata College baseball team has earned the right to host the inaugural Landmark Conference Baseball Championship this weekend, Friday, May 2 through Sunday, May 4, on Langdon-Goodale Field in Huntingdon, Pa.

Game one of the tournament begins Friday at 12:00 p.m. with #1 Juniata playing #4 University of Scranton. The following game will begin at approximately 3:30 p.m. with #2 Susquehanna University against #3 Catholic University of America. Saturday's slate of three games will begin at 9:00 a.m., with Sunday's championship series starting at 12:00 p.m.

Juniata finished in first place in the Landmark Conference with a 16-2 league record, 25-10 overall.

Senior Dan Kauffman (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) and junior Adam Spadafora (Lebanon, N.J./Pennington School) lead Juniata offensively; Kauffman is ranked in the top 10 among NCAA Division III statistical leaders, including two number one spots - on base percentage (.647) and base on balls per game (1.53) - while leading the Landmark Conference with 13 home runs. Hitting .458 at the plate, Spadafora recently broke the Juniata record for hits in a single season with 65 so far for 2008. Senior pitcher Jay Enoch (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) heads into the tournament with an 8-2 record; his 4-0 win over Moravian College last Saturday was the 24th victory of his career, setting a new Juniata career record for pitching wins.

Susquehanna University enters the tournament with a 11-7 Landmark Conference record. The Crusaders offense is led by Chris Price, with nine home runs and a .474 batting average. Junior righthander John Lunardi is the top-ranked pitcher in the Landmark Conference with a 1.97 earned run average.

Catholic University enters the tournament as the number three seed with Joseph Maca leading the team with 53 hits and a .376 batting average at the plate. He currently holds the number seven spot in the nation with seven triples.

Fourth-seeded Scranton enters the tournament 11-7 in the Landmark Conference, 24-13 overall. Sophomore infielder Chris Bligh is the Royals' top offensive weapon with a .442 batting average, 50 hits and 49 RBI. Royal Tim Reiser, currently 5-0, leads the team with an ERA of 3.38.

Admission prices for the tournament are as follows:

Single day ticket:
$5 for adults
$3 for senior citizens, and non-Landmark students
Free - children under 10, and Landmark students with ID

Tournament pass (good for all three days):
$8 for adults
$6 for senior citizens, non-Landmark students

Tournament schedule for this weekend is as follows:

Friday, May 2
Game #1 - 12:30 p.m. - #1 Juniata vs. #4 Scranton
Game #2 - 3:30 p.m. - #2 Susquehanna vs. #3 Catholic

Saturday, May 3
Game #3 - 9:00 a.m. - Loser G1 vs. Loser G2
Game #4 - 12:30 p.m. - Winner G1 vs. Winner G2
Game #5 - 4:00 p.m. - Winner G3 vs. Loser G4

Sunday, May 4
Game #6 - 12:00 p.m. - Winner G4 vs. Winner G5
Game #7 - 3:00 p.m. - (If necessary)

Seating at Langdon-Goodale Field is limited; spectators may wish to bring portable seating, to take advantage of the grass areas located around the field.

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