YORK, PA – The York College baseball squad concluded their
challenging five-day stretch with a doubleheader split against
Stevenson University on Saturday afternoon in York. The Spartans,
who have now played seven games in the last five days, won the
opener 11-3 before the Mustangs captured the nightcap 6-2.
The Spartans are now 6-9 with the split while the Mustangs stand
at 12-3. Stevenson is 6-3 in the CAC while the Spartans are 3-5.
Game one featured a dominant performance from Spartan ace
Jason Christenberry (Yoe, Pa./Dallastown). The
senior retired 11 of the first 12 batters he faced with the lone
base runner getting picked off in the first.
Christenberry's performance allowed the Spartan offense to
get going. The Green and White got on the board in the third as the
rally was kicked off with a Jim Meehan (Mastic,
N.Y./Eastport-South Manor Central) triple. Dustin
Worthman (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca) singled home Meehan to
give the Spartans the 1-0 lead. With two outs and the bases loaded,
Joe Doyle (Stewartstown, Pa./Red Lion) doubled to
score all three runs as the York lead grew to 4-0.
The Spartans then blew the game wide open with a six run fourth
inning. Rick Shumway (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg
Area) had an RBI single to open the scoring in the inning.
He was followed by Mike Connolly (Selden,
N.Y./Newfield) as the senior jacked a three run homer,
pushing the York lead to 8-0. Rob Klick (Stanhope,
N.J./Lenape Valley Regional) then closed out the scoring
with a two-run triple for the Spartans.
York increased the lead to 11-0 in the fifth on a Sean
Rutherford (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) pinch-hit single
with the bases load.
Stevenson got two runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh
to provide for the final 11-3 Spartan advantage.
Christenberry improved to 3-1 with the win. He tossed six
innings, allowing two runs on five hits with six strikeouts and a
walk. Brian Lusby (Prince Frederick,
Md./Huntingtown) tossed the final inning and allowed a run
on two hits with a strikeout and a walk.
Josh Brundige suffered the loss for the Mustangs. He allowed
nine runs on 10 hits in 3.2 innings of action as he falls to 0-2.
He struck out three and walked three others. John Skrynecki tossed
the final 2.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with three
strikeouts and a walk.
Doyle led the Spartans with two hits, three RBI and a run
scored. Connolly was 1-for-2 with three RBI and two runs scored.
Worthman added two hits, an RBI and a run scored while Shumway was
the fourth Spartan with multiple hits as he was 2-for-4 with an RBI
while he also crossed the dish once.
Ryan Baione and Chris Maienshein led the Mustang offense with
two hits each.
In the nightcap, the offense production was at a premium early
on. Mustang starter James Castellano and Spartan hurler
Andy Rosenzweig (Glen Rock, Pa./Susquehannock)
engaged in a pitchers dual through the first three innings of the
game.
The Mustangs got on the board in the fourth as Brandon Krochune
walked and rode home when Jeff Bihy got a fly ball to right to blow
out over the 18-foot high wall for a two-run homer.
The Spartans got a single run back in the bottom of the frame on
a double steal as Kyle Cook (Pylesville, Md./North
Harford) dented the plate, trimming the Spartan deficit to
2-1.
The game turned in the top of the sixth as the Spartan defense
aided the Mustang uprising. The inning began with a York error on a
ground ball by Baione. After a sacrifice bunt moved Baione to
second, Rosenzweig got a strikeout for the second out of the frame,
which should have been out number three. Rosenzweig then hit
Brandon Krochune with a pitch and he would be lifted for Cook. Cook
was promptly greeted by Bihy as he hit a line drive home run to
deep right center, giving the Mustangs a 5-1 lead. Cook would get
the next batter but the damage was done and the hole grew deeper
for the Spartans.
After a fruitless bottom of the sixth, Stevenson tacked on an
important insurance run in the top of the seventh, courtesy two
Spartan errors that led to the unearned run.
The Spartans made it exciting in the bottom of the seventh as
they scored on a Cook single with the bases loaded. Shumway was the
tying run with two outs but reliever Pat Quinn slammed the door,
getting Shumway to fly out to shallow right to end the game.
Castellano earned the win as he allowed two runs on four hits
with three walks and three strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work. He
improves to 1-0 with the win. Quinn picked up his second save of
the year as he registered the final two outs of the game.
Rosenzweig suffered the loss but deserved a better fate. He
allowed four runs, just two earned, on two hits with three
strikeouts and a pair of walks. He is now 1-3 for the season. Cook
allowed an unearned run on two hits while Brandon Ullom
(South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) allowed an
unearned run on two errors in the seventh.
Bihy led the Mustangs as he had five RBI on the first two home
runs of his season. Steve Krider and Maienshein each contributed a
hit to the Mustang attack.
Five Spartans had one hit each with C.T. Stanley
(Timonium, Md./Calvert Hall) having York's lone
extra base hit with his second inning double.
The Spartans now have a few days off before returning to action
on Wednesday afternoon with a trip to St. Mary's City, MD to
face the St. Mary's College Seahawks in a Capital Athletic
Conference game. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 pm.
PHOTO: Jason Christenberry improved to 3-1 with this game one
win. Photo courtesy of Zach Clabaugh.
