(Game One) / (Game Two)
Sophomore Dennis Hocker (Coral Springs, FL) and junior Sean Saverio (Horsham, PA) both blasted two-run homers for Widener in the top of the eighth of game two to spoil an Arcadia rally in a 7-3 Commonwealth Conference victory, following an 11-4 win in the opener in Glenside, PA.
After a leadoff walk and sacrifice bunt in the top of the eighth, Hocker drove an opposite-field shot to right for a 5-3 Widener lead. Three batters later, Saverio added two more insurance runs with another round tripper to right.
Widener took a 3-1 lead in the top of the seventh when senior Alex Oliver (Lebanon, NJ) scored on a balk. But Arcadia came back with two in the bottom, including the tying run on a squeeze bunt from Mike McElhatton.
Freshman Michael Riverso (Philadelphia, PA) got the Pride on the board in the second inning with an RBI single up the middle, and junior Dan Sieracki (Cherry Hill, NJ) made it 2-0 in the third with another RBI base hit through the middle.
Arcadia got to within 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI triple from Kyle Jackson.
Junior Rick Kazigian (West Chester, PA) improved to 4-4, allowing just two hits and no walks over two shutout innings of relief. Sophomore starting pitcher Brandon McCloskey (Belford, NJ) permitted just four hits and three runs over six innings.
Saverio recorded three hits in the contest, and Oliver finished with two hits and two runs scored.
Widener scored in every inning of the first game, including three in the top of the first. Saverio, Hocker and junior Bill Hollingsworth (Drexel Hill, PA) all had RBI singles in the opening frame.
The Pride added a pair in the second to make it 5-0, including an RBI single from senior Jason Brooke (Collegeville, PA).
After Hollingsworth scored on a wild pitch for a 6-0 lead in the third, senior Tom DeAngelis (Pottstown, PA) chipped in another RBI single in the fourth, and Riverso added a sacrifice fly for his fourth RBI of the series to give Widener an 8-0 lead. Sophomore Max McCarthy (Deptford, NJ) capped the scoring in the top of the seventh with an RBI single, becoming the eighth different Widener player to drive in a run.
Junior Salvatore Spera (Norristown, PA) pitched five shutout innings to improve to 4-0, striking out nine and allowing just four hits and one walk.
Saverio and DeAngelis had three hits and two runs scored apiece for the Pride (24-13, 11-7).
Kyle Jackson and Matt Snyder had three hits each on the day for the Knights (3-29, 1-17).
Widener earns the third seed in the Commonwealth Conference tournament, and will travel to West Lawn, PA on Thursday to face Messiah in the first round, beginning at 7:30 pm.
