(Posted April 21, 2006)

Juniata 17, Lebanon Valley 5

HUNTINGDON, Pa. ? The Juniata College baseball team scored 15 runs over the final four innings to turn a tight game into a run-away as the Eagles downed visiting Lebanon Valley College 17-5 in Huntingdon Friday afternoon. The Eagles raised their record to 22-9-1 on the year and 12-3-1 in Commonwealth play, while the Flying Dutchmen dropped to 11-19 on the season and 8-8 in Commonwealth play.

Juniata pounded out 18 hits in the game, and each starter for the Blue and Gold had at least one hit and scored at least one run. Three of the hits belonged to senior outfielder David Saintz (Titusville/Titusville) who with his single in the sixth inning became the all-time Juniata leader in career hits with 174. He added two more hits to bring his career total to 176. One of his three hits was a triple, which also moved him into the top spot in the Juniata record books for triples in a career with 15.

With the game tied at four, Juniata took the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs Troy Beaver (Bellwood-Antis/Bellwood) tripled home Zach Sternberg (McCaskey/Lancaster) to give Juniata a 5-4 lead. Saintz then followed with his record-breaking single to put the Eagles on top by a pair.

The Blue and Gold then broke the game open with five runs on four hits in the seventh. An RBI triple from Jesse Leonard (Shade/Johnstown) brought in the first run. An RBI double from Sternberg and a sacrifice fly from Darren Hake (Red Lion/Red Lion) brought in two more runs and then Saintz knocked in another pair with a double.

Juniata continued the attack by pushing across six runs on five hits in the eighth. Hake brought home the first run with an RBI single, and then three more runs came home on a Beaver double and a throwing error from the leftfielder. Saintz then knocked in his fifth run of the game with his triple and then came home on a wild pitch.

With all the offense, the Eagles also got a complete-game victory from starter Andrew Snyder (Punxsutawney/Punxsutawney). The sophomore allowed seven hits and five runs, three earned over nine innings and struck out a pair.

The visitors scored the first run of the game when they got an RBI single from Matt Rich to take a 1-0 edge in the top of the second. Juniata countered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. The Eagles loaded the bases with one out, and then Lebanon Valley starter Matt Sanders hit Saintz to bring in the first run, and then followed with a walk that brought in the second run of the contest.

Sanders was tagged with the loss for the visitors as he allowed 10 hits and eight runs, six earned, over 6 1-3 innings.

The Flying Dutchmen took back the lead with three runs in the top of the fifth. An RBI single from Bert Malloy and an outfield error from the Eagles brought in two runs, and then a sacrifice fly extended the lead to 4-2 in favor of the visitors. Juniata quickly tied things up in the bottom of the inning when Dan Kauffman (Penn Manor/Conestoga) launched a two-run home run that knotted the game at four.

Sternberg led Juniata offensively as he went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI. Saintz finished the day with three hits, five RBI and two runs scored. Beaver produced three hits while scoring three times and driving in three runs. Leonard, Hake and Steven Wilk (Blairsville/Hollidaysburg) all added two hits apiece for Juniata.

Malloy knocked out two hits and scored two runs while adding an RBI for the visitors.

Juniata and Lebanon Valley will wrap-up their three-game series with a doubleheader in Annville on Saturday.

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