YORK, PA-The York College baseball squad earned a 5-2 win over Catholic University in the second round of the 2007 Capital Athletic Conference championship tournament on Thursday in York. The Spartans, who are the number one seed, eliminated the Cardinals with the loss. The game is the final one the Cardinals will play as members of the CAC as they will compete in the Landmark Conference next season. York improves to 24-6 overall while the Cardinals fall to 15-18. The Spartans are currently ranked 23rd in the nation.
    The Spartans tallied the game's first run in the bottom of the second. Mike Connolly (Selden, NY/Newfield) walked to open the frame and then advanced third when Bryan Bednarczyk (Columbia, MD/River Hill) blistered a shot down the third base line for a double. Dennis Maxim (Port Jefferson Station, NY/St. Anthony's) stroked a sacrifice fly to deep left center, scoring Connolly with York's first run. The Spartans would be unable to plate Bednarczyk as Joseph Voiro got a foul out and a ground out to end the Spartan threat.
    The Cardinals reached Spartan ace Chris Brower (Mont Clare, PA/Spring-Ford) for a pair of runs in the third. Mike Michalski launched a solo homer to left. The homer was a line drive that cleared the left field wall by less than a foot. It was just the second home run that Brower had allowed in 54.1 innings this year. The Spartans then committed an error that allowed Sean Earley to reach with no outs. He would eventually come around to score on a Joseph Maca single up the middle as the Cardinals took the 2-1 lead.
    That lead would be short lived for the Cardinals. York began the uprising with a walk to David Moller (Schnecksville, PA/Parkland) to lead off the frame. Senior Jeff Young (Wilmington, DE/Brandywine) singled to put runners at first and second. Sophomore Ryan Craig (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point) ripped a double down the right field line, scoring Moller to tie the game and moving Young to third. Connolly singled through the right side, scoring Young with one out. Voiro got out the inning without any further damage as he got a double play ground ball to end the frame.
    The Spartans tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the sixth as Bednarczyk walked and came around to score on a Mike Santoro (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan) home run off the top of the left field wall. The bomb was Santoro's fourth which ties him for the team lead with Young.
    That would be more than enough for Brower as the senior was outstanding. He tossed eight innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits with six strikeouts and one walk. The win, which improves his record to 6-1, ties him with David Ellis for career victories with 25. Brower already holds the career strikeout victory as his name is being etched all over the Spartan record book. Junior Tim Frisch (New Freedom, PA/Susquehannock) tossed six pitches in the ninth to record the save, his third of the year.
    Voiro suffered the loss as he falls to 3-6. He allowed five runs, all earned, on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Brendan McGowan relieved Voiro and allowed two hits in two innings of work.
    The Spartan offense was paced by Santoro as he was 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Young was 1-for-3 with a run scored while Connolly was 1-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI. No Spartan had multiple hits in the game while seven of the nine starters had one hit.
    Michalski led the Cardinals with his second homer of the year. Maca added a single and an RBI while Joseph Devine and Earley each had a single for the Cardinals.
    The Spartans return to action as they face Salisbury University in a winner's bracket game on Saturday morning at 9:00 am. The Sea Gulls were 8-6 winners over Mary Washington today in Fredericksburg. The winner of the York - Salisbury game advances to Sunday without a loss while the loser must play in the 4:00 pm game on Saturday afternoon.