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Baseball Drops Game One Of Series With Arcadia, 6-2

(boxscore)
Widener faced Arcadia in the first of three games of the Commonwealth Conference series and lost 6-2 after leaving nine runners on base in today's pitching duel.
 
Senior Nicholas Moeltner (Orefield, PA) took the mound for the Pride in the first and took care of business from the start, striking out the lead-off batter for the Knights. Between the next two batters, Moeltner threw five pitches and threw out each player himself on softly hit ground balls hit to either side of him. Widener was retired in order in its first at-bat in the flipside of the inning.
 
The second and third innings saw both teams retired in order. In the bottom of the third, Michael Riverso (Philadelphia, PA) led off with a ground ball hit deep in the hole that freshman shortstop George Pagan backhanded but held on to due to no possible play, giving him the first hit of the game for either side. A fielder's choice and a 6-4-3 double play eventually ended the inning.
 
The top of the fourth inning started off with lead-off man David Jacobs getting hit by a pitch. After two quick fly-outs to centerfield, catcher Jerry Smith hit a shallow single to centerfield, followed by a single to right-center that scored Jacobs for the first run of the game. Kyle Summers (Mohnton, PA) bobbled a ground ball, but was able to make the play at first for the third out, keeping a run off the board.
 
The Knights (9-5-1, 2-0 CC) led the sixth inning off with a single up the middle from Jacobs. Justin Simpson replaced Jacobs on first after hitting into a fielder's choice and was part of a nicely executed hit-and-run along with Smith, who hit a right-field single to move Simpson to third. A wild pitch from Moeltner scored Simpson and advanced Smith to second before Widener was able to get the last out of the inning. In the top of the seventh inning Arcadia tacked on an unearned run after a botched double play ball.
 
Sophomore Marc Noyalis (Dallas, PA) gave the Pride (5-7, 1-1) a lift with a one-out triple to deep right-center, his first of the season. Riverso drew a walk on four pitches and stole second at a crucial time to take away the possibility of an inning-ending double play. With two outs, Summers stepped up to the plate and hit a solid line drive single that was just inches out of reach of the second baseman's glove to score both Noyalis and Riverso for a one-run game.
 
Widener's defense shut down the Arcadia hitters in the top of the eighth. The first two batters grounded out to third baseman Matt Hone (Newtown, PA), followed by an infield single after a diving stop from Summers with no play before Hone made the third out on a fielder's choice at second base to end the inning.
 
In the bottom half of the inning Widener put runners on and had the opportunity to tie the game, or even take to lead. Freshman right fielder Alec O'Dell (Edgewood, MD) started the offense with a one-out single to left field and stole second base. With two outs down, the Pride looked to start a rally after Hone was hit with a two strike pitch and an infield single from Noyalis, but wound up stranding three runners on the bases.
 
Arcadia's offense sparked in the top of the ninth with four hits to score three insurance runs. First baseman Jay Zehring led off with an infield single to no-man's land, followed by a strike out and a single to right-center. Another softly hit ground ball to shortstop left Matt Scherer (Havertown, PA) with no play and the bases loaded for the top of the line-up. Jacobs was hit by the fourth ball—scored as a walk—and the fourth run crossed the plate for the Knights.
 
Noyalis moved from first base to pitch relief with one out and bases loaded, with Riverso stepping in at first. Simpson hit a first-pitch single to left-center that scored two runs before the last two outs were record.
 
Widener put four batters up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth in its last chance to score, but only had one hit and left one runner on base.
 
Moeltner (2-2) takes the loss after being charged with six runs—five earned—on 11 hits over 8 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked just one in 37 batters faced.
 
Jordan Hoffeman (3-3) records his third win of the season after throwing seven full innings and giving up just two earned runs and five hits. He struck out four and walked three in 28 batters faced.
 
Noyalis was 2-for-4 at the plate and scored once. Summers hit 3-for-4 with three singles and two RBI.
 
Widener continues the series at Arcadia on Saturday with a doubleheader in Cheltenham, PA, starting at noon.
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