(box score)
Widener did not trail until late in the game and had the tying runs in scoring position in the ninth inning, only to suffer a tough 5-4 Commonwealth Conference loss at No. 16 Alvernia in Reading, PA.
The momentum looked to be Widener's after scoring twice in the top of the seventh for a 3-1 lead. After sophomore Dennis Hocker (Coral Springs, FL) and junior Bill Hollingsworth (Drexel Hill, PA) reached on singles, both advanced on a groundout from senior Tom DeAngelis (Pottstown, PA) and crossed home on a single from junior Eric Von Stetina (Collegeville, PA).
The Crusaders (23-3, 10-0 CC) made it a new ballgame in the bottom of the seventh, getting a two-run single from Leon Stimpson for a 3-3 tie. The deadlock was broken in the eighth when Reid Martin and Travis Wrambel had back-to-back RBI singles to center for a 5-3 lead.
Widener (20-9, 8-5) loaded the bases with two outs and sent senior Jason Brooke (Collegeville, PA) to the plate. Brooke lined a single to left that scored senior Tom Mahoney (Norristown, PA), but Von Stetina was thrown out by left fielder Jeff Smith for the final.
Royersford, PA junior Jason Ferrie (3-4) permitted five runs – four earned – and 11 hits over eight innings with two strikeouts. Hocker closed with three hits and Von Stetina had two.
Andrew Kirk struck out eight over eight innings, giving up three runs and six hits, and Andrew Rohrbach allowed a run in the ninth before picking up the save. Alvernia's first three hitters in the lineup consisted of Stimpson, Brian Witkowski and Chris Ray and they went a combined 6-for-11 with two RBI.
The teams will play a doubleheader Sunday in Chester that begins at 1:00 pm. The games originally were scheduled for Saturday, but were moved to due the impending bad weather.
