YORK, PA – The York College baseball squad salvaged a MAC Commonwealth Senior Day split with Widener on Thursday afternoon in York. Both games were shutouts but they couldn't have looked any more different.
Widener took the opener 10-0 before the Spartans bounced back to earn a 1-0 win in the nightcap. Spartan pitcher Brandon Purdy tossed six shutout innings to earn the win in game two.
The teams will play one more game in the next few days. The winner will be the third seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth tournament while the loser of that game falls to the fifth seed and will travel to #4 Messiah for the tournament play-in game.
 
Game One
Records: York 18-17 (13-9 MACC); Widener 20-17 (14-8 MACC)
Runs: York 0; Widener 10
Hits: York 3; Widener 8
Errors: York 3; Widener 0
WP: Sean Curran (6-2); LP: Zach Reed (2-6)
 
How It Happened
• The Pride jumped all over the Spartans early with three runs. The first run came on a bases loaded walk. The second run came on a sacrifice fly while the third run came on a fielder's choice.
• Widener made it 7-0 with a four spot in the third inning. Kyle Brex singled to lead off the inning and then came home on a Justin Costanzo home run to deep right center. A Spartan throwing error and a sacrifice fly gifted the Pride the other two runs in the inning.
• While Widener's offense was rolling, the Spartan offense was stuck in neutral as Pride starter Sean Curran was in cruise control. Curran threw 6.1 innings of shutout baseball as he scattered three hits with six strikeouts and three walks as he earned his sixth win of the year.
• The Pride removed all doubt about the result with a three-run sixth inning to make it 10-0.
• The Spartans loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh but couldn't push across a run as they were shutout for the second time this year.
 
Spartan Offensive Leaders
Robby Elzinga: 2-for-3, 2B
Lucas Prendergast: 1-for-2
 
Spartan Pitching
Zach Reed: 2.0 IP, 4 hits, 5 ER, 1 K, 1 BB, 1 HB
AJ Vincenzi: 3.2 IP, 4 hits, 5 runs, 1 ER, 2 K, 3 BB
Sam Gardner: 1.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 2 BB
 
Game Two
Records: York 19-17 (14-9 MACC); Widener 20-18 (14-9 MACC)
Runs: York 1; Widener 0
Hits: York 6; Widener 3
Errors: York 1; Widener 0
WP: Brandon Purdy (4-3); LP: Tyler Conlan (1-1); Save: Ethan Kennedy (5)
 
How It Happened
• The two offenses were held off the board through the first two innings. The Pride got a pair of runners on in the third but Spartan starter Brandon Purdy was able to wiggle out of the jam with a big strikeout.
• York got all the runs they needed in the bottom of the third as Emidio Bucci doubled down the right field line to lead off the inning. Lucas Prendergast laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Bucci to third. Bucci then rode home on a sharp single to left by Gabe Trevena to snap the Spartans' nine inning scoreless streak on the day.
• Purdy faced a huge test in the fourth as Andrew Yates doubled high off the right field wall to lead off the inning. Catcher Nick Barnez singled on a bunt to put runners at first and third with no outs. Purdy got a strikeout and then picked Barnez off first for out number two. He got a huge strikeout to end the inning and preserve the shutout.
• Purdy finished his outing strong as he retired nine of the final 10 hitters he faced with the only runner reaching via an error. Ethan Kennedy came in to close it out in the seventh as he retired the Pride in order for his fifth save of the year.
 
Spartan Offensive Leaders
Jacob Deimling: 2-for-3, 2B
Gabe Trevena: 1-for-3, RBI
Emidio Bucci: 1-for-2, 1 run, 2B
Robby Elzinga: 1-for-3
Brendan Martin: 1-for-3
 
Spartan Pitching
Brandon Purdy: 6.0 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 7 K, 2 BB
Ethan Kennedy: 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 2 K
 
Spartan Notes
York is now 10-3 all-time against the Pride and is now 6-2 against them as members of the MAC Commonwealth … Robby Elzinga extended his current hit streak to seven games as he is two short of his season high nine game hit streak earlier this year … Elzinga registered his team-leading 18^th multi-hit game of the year in the opener … freshman Lucas Prendergast extended his reached base safely streak to 11 games while Elzinga is now at seven games … York has now surrendered double figures in runs in eight games this year as they are 0-8 in those games … York improved to 8-2 in one-run games this year with their win in the nightcap … the 1-0 was York's first pitching shutout of the year … prior to the game, the Spartans honored their six seniors as they were playing their final regular season home games of their careers … Robby Elzinga, Brendan Martin, Brian Jakubek, Zach Reed, Emidio Bucci and Ryan Kulick have combined to post an overall record of 76-51 during their Spartan careers including a 2021 MAC Commonwealth regular season and tournament championship.
 
Up Next
The Spartan and Pride will close out the season series sometime in the next few days. The teams were scheduled to meet on Friday in Chester but the game has already been postponed due to the ominous weekend forecast. The game will be played prior to the start of next week's MAC Commonwealth tournament. Please check back at www.ycpspartans.com for the most up-to-date Spartan schedule.