YORK, PA – The York College baseball team celebrated their 2025 seniors with a sweep of Alvernia on Sunday in York. York won game one 3-2 and followed with a 5-4 win in the nightcap.
The Spartans needed to sweep the Golden Wolves to earn the second seed in next week's MAC Commonwealth tournament and got that sweep with three wins in the series.
York improves to 21-17 overall and 15-6 in the league while the Golden Wolves fall to 23-16 overall and 14-7 in the conference. York will be the two seed in the tournament while Alvernia will be the three seed.
 
Game One
Runs: York 3 – Alvernia 2
Hits: York 6 – Alvernia 6
Errors: York 0 – Alvernia 0
LOB: York 3 – Alvernia 3
WP: Brandon Purdy (3-3); LP: Nick Ferraioli (7-3); Save: Ethan Kennedy (7)
 
How It Happened
• The game flew along over the first two innings as both starting pitchers were on point. The Spartans finally broke through in the bottom of the third. Chris Nesensohn drew a lead off walk. After Alvernia starter Nick Ferraioli got back-to-back strikeouts, Michael Tinneny blasted a line drive home run to right for the 2-0 lead.
• Spartan starter Brandon Purdy cruised through the game as at one point, the senior retired 12 Golden Wolves in a row before Timmy Hitchcock singled to center. He was erased on a caught stealing which is good for York because Harold Ivery followed with a single to left. Purdy got out of the inning with a fly ball to right.
• The Spartans added what proved to be a huge insurance run in the bottom of the fourth as Ryan Niedzialkowski doubled to lead off the inning and eventually came around to score on a double play ground out.
• Purdy went out to start the seventh looking to earn a complete game shutout. However, after Purdy got the first out of the frame, the Golden Wolves got a double from Jack Zabarsky and a triple from Hitchcock to break up the shutout. The Spartans went to the pen for closer Ethan Kennedy. Kennedy allowed a sacrifice fly to Ivery but he struck out pinch hitter Joe Glass to end the game and pick up his seventh save of the year.
 
Spartan Offensive Leaders
Michael Tinneny: 2-for-2, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR, HBP
Ryan Niedzialkowski: 2-for-3, 1 run, 2B
Jacob Deimling: 1-for-3
Joe Urban: 1-for-3
 
Spartan Pitching
Brandon Purdy: 6.1 IP, 6 hits, 2 ER, 1 K, 0 BB
Ethan Kennedy: 0.2 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB
 
Game Two
Runs: York 5 – Alvernia 4
Hits: York 6  - Alvernia 12
Errors: York 3 – Alvernia 2
LOB: York 11 – Alvernia 10
WP: Bryce Shaffer (3-2); LP: Jake Umans (2-3); Save: Ethan Kennedy (8)
 
How It Happened
• The Golden Wolves had a great opportunity to get on the board first but York made a fantastic defensive play on a Logan Nelson single to right. Nathan Seidel, who singled to lead off the game and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, was thrown out at the plate for the second out of the inning. Spartan starter Owen Brockner got the third out of the inning as he avoided allowing a first inning run.
• The Spartans got on the board first in the bottom of the first as Lucas Prendergast walked, moved to second when Michael Tinneny was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch moved both Spartans up before Chris Betler plated Prendergast with an RBI ground out to short.
• The Golden Wolves took a short-lived 2-1 lead in the third as Nelson had an RBI single while Evan Thomas followed with a sacrifice fly to center. York responded in the bottom of the third as Prendergast tied the game with a line drive home run to right.
• The Golden Wolves got an unearned run in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead. York recaptured the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth as Joe Urban began the inning with a long solo home run to left center, tying the game at three. It was just the Spartans' second hit in the game. After a ground out, Chris Nesensohn was hit by a pitch. Matthew Wade then delivered a two-run home run to right for the 5-3 lead.
• The Golden Wolves cut their deficit in half in the seventh as Jack Zabarsky ripped an RBI double to right center to cut the Spartan lead to 5-4. Jason Cassidy came out of the pen to finish off the inning as he got Harold Ivery to ground out to second to end the inning.
• Cassidy retired the Golden Wolves in order in the eighth as he made way for Ethan Kennedy in the ninth. Kennedy got two quick outs in the ninth before a bad-hop single got put a runner at first. Kennedy got a strikeout to end the game as he earned his second save of the day and eighth of the year.
 
Spartan Offensive Leaders
Lucas Prendergast: 1-for-4, 2 runs, RBI, HR, BB
Michael Tinneny: 1-for-3, BB
Joe Urban: 1-for-4, 1 run, RBI, HR
Matthew Wade: 1-for-3, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR
 
Spartan Pitching
Owen Brockner: 4.1 IP, 8 hits, 3 runs, 2 ER, 3 K, 1 BB
Bryce Shaffer: 2.1 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 1 K
Jason Cassidy: 1.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 K
Ethan Kennedy: 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 1 K
 
Spartan Notes
The Spartans are now 22-11 all-time against Alvernia as they have won five of the last six meetings between the two teams … York has won six of their last eight games including three straight … York improves to 11-10 at home … York is now 4-4 in one run games this year after picking up a pair of wins on Sunday … York picked up their first win when scoring three runs or less in a game with their game one victory … York is now 7-15 when getting out-hit by their opponent like they did in game two … York is now 7-0 when hitting two or more home runs … York is now 17-1 when leading after six innings … York has committed a combined six errors in their last six games … York pitching walked just one Alvernia hitter in the series while they posted 17 strikeouts … Lucas Prendergast is now hitting .410 in conference play with five home runs and 26 RBI in 21 games … Joe Urban is hitting .395 with three home runs and 12 doubles in league play … in league play, grad closer Ethan Kennedy has picked up five saves as he has thrown eight innings, not allowed an earned run with 10 strikeouts and no walks as opponents are hitting just .222 against him … Michael Tinneny earned his 17^th multi-hit game in game one while Ryan Niedzialkowski earned his 10^th multi-hit game in the opener … Lucas Prendergast had his reached base safely streak snapped at 33 in game one … the Spartans celebrated their nine seniors and their two grad students prior to the game … grad students Ethan Kennedy and Ayden Hughes along with seniors Chris Nesensohn, Gabe Trevena, Michael Tinneny, Kenny Bamrick, Chris Betler, Jesse Bitzer, Bryce Shaffer, Brandon Purdy, and Yandel Tolentino were playing their final regular season games of their careers at Jaquet Field.  
 
Up Next
The Spartans close out their regular season on Tuesday afternoon as York heads to Selinsgrove, PA to take on the Susquehanna University River Hawks in a non-conference contest. First pitch is set for 4:00 pm.