McDaniel earns split at Muhlenberg

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Brandon Kline (Myersville, Md./Middletown) recorded three hits, three RBIs and two runs scored to lead McDaniel to a doubleheader split at Muhlenberg in Centennial Conference (CC) baseball action on Saturday.

The Green Terror (9-8, 2-3 CC) took the opener 2-1 on a pair of seventh-inning runs before the Mules (6-17-1, 3-2 CC) forged the split 8-6 behind a four-run third.

Jeff Punklin went a combined 4-for-7 for the hosts in the twinbill.

Trailing 1-0 after a Joseph Vila leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth inning of game one, Ryan Byrnes (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown North) was hit by a pitch with one out in the seventh.

A Ricky LaSota (Burtonsville, Md./Paint Branch) single through the right side put runners at the corners before Chris Longo (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury drew a walk to load the bases.

Jimmy Najera (Fort Washington, Md./DeMatha) hit into a fielder's choice to score Byrnes but the throw to attempt the game-ending double play went awry, allowing LaSota to score with the go-ahead run.

Zach Jones (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) sat the Mules down in order in the bottom of the inning to record his first complete game of the season, scattering seven hits and striking out six to improve to 4-1 on the year.

Trailing 2-1 with one out in the bottom of the third, John Muha drew a walk before Max Litvak doubled to left to put runners at second and third.

Three straight errors and an RBI groundout from Puklin led to three unearned runs, giving Muhlenberg a 5-2 advantage before the inning was over.

A walk to Chris Longo (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) and free pass to Najera in the form of a hit batsman put two on with no outs in the fifth.

Tyler Jackow (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) reached on a bunt single to load the bases for Kline, who doubled to right to score Longo and Najera.

A fielder's choice and walk to Marshall Betts (Berlin, Md./Stephen Decatur) reloaded the bases but reliever Tim Velys was able to get a ground-ball double play to get out of the jam with a 5-3 lead.

A Letvak single and Vila triple got one run back in the bottom of the frame before Vila was able to score on a John Scuderi RBI groundout for a 7-3 lead.

A bases-loaded walk to Mike Freeman (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) scored Kline, who singled, in the seventh before a Kline sacrifice fly plated Longo an inning later.

Vila hit his second long ball of the day between the two single-run innings for McDaniel.

Singles by Kline, Patrick Christopher (Union Bridge, N.J./St. John Vianney) and Betts coupled with a Christopher steal of home staked the Green Terror to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.

A Scuderi walk and Bobby Spindler RBI single cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the second.

Muhlenberg finished with a 7-4 advantage in the hit column in its game-one loss while McDaniel had the edge in game two, 11-8.

The Green Terror returns to action at home against Washington (Md.) Sunday. Game time is 3 p.m.

Score by Inning – Game One    1    2    3    4    5    6    7    -     R   H   E
McDaniel (9-7, 2-2 CC)                 0    0    0    0    0    0    2    -     2    4    0
Muhlenberg (5-17-1, 2-2 CC)         0    0    0    0    0    1    0    -     1    7    2

Zach Jones and Chris Longo; Jason Daniels and Clint Lynch. WP: Jones (4-1). LP: Daniels (1-5). S: none. SO-BB: Jones 6-1, Daniels 6-2.

Score by Inning – Game Two     1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    -     R   H   E
McDaniel (9-8, 2-3 CC)                 2    0    0    0    2    0    1    1    0    -     6    11  4
Muhlenberg (6-17-1, 3-2 CC)         0    1    4    0    2    0    1    0    x    -     8    8    1

Danny Snight, Mike Freeman (7) and Chris Longo; Ryan Rechten, Tim Velys (5), Mike Speroni (7), Rob Shannon (7), Bill Rogers (8), Jason Daniels (9) and Clint Lynch. WP: Velys (3-0). LP: Snight (1-2). S: Daniels (3). SO-BB: Snight 2-3, Freeman 1-0; Rechten 3-1, Velys 0-1, Speroni 0-1, Shannon 1-2, Rogers 0-0, Daniels 0-1.

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