GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – The Neumann University baseball team split an Atlantic East Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon to wrap up the season at Gwynedd Mercy University. The Griffins won game one 6-5 while the Knights took game two 17-5.
In game one, the Griffins jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first two innings. The Knights got on the board in the third as they took advantage of some miscues and scored three runs. Gwynedd Mercy got one run back in the bottom of the third for a 5-3 score.
JerVal Shuler hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to bring Neumann back to within one, 4-3. Gwynedd Mercy answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth for a 6-3 game.
In the sixth,
Zion Spearman led off with a double. With two runners on base,
AJ Nardo hit a single to knock in two and pull the Knights to within one. Neumann put the tying run on base in the top of the seventh but could not get the run across the plate and fell int game one 6-5.
Aidan Jackson started the game and went 4.2 innings in the loss.
Vic Mejia pitched 1.1 scoreless innings in relief.
The Knights tallied 15 hits in game two enroute to the 17-5 win in game two.
Zach Mullins started the game on the mount and went 6.0 innings for the win. He allowed one run on five hits and struck out six.
Bryan Taveras,
Nick Colon, and
Brian Van Etten each pitched an inning in relief.
Neumann got on the board in the first after
Tyler Kilmer was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a single by
Andrew Curran.
In the top of the fourth, Spearman walked to lead off the inning and scored on a single by
Anthony Rakotz. Kilmer came to the plate with the bases loaded and was hit by another pitch to score Rakotz.
Josh Finger knocked in two with a single and the Knights took a 5-0 lead.
Leading 5-1 in the fifth, Rakotz walked with two outs which led to three straight hits and three more runs. Shuler hit a two-run double and scored on a double by
Thomas Elgrim.
The Knights kept adding on and plated six runs in the six for a 14-1 lead. The first five batters in the inning reached base and the Griffins made two pitching changes. Kilmer hit a two-run single in the inning. Neumann added a run in the seventh as Shuler singled in Spearman. For good measure, Shuler knocked in two more in the top of the ninth.
Neumann finishes the season 16-23 overall and 3-15 in the conference.
