Box Score
(Elizabethtown, Pa.) – Dickinson junior Benn Parker (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) broke open the game with a three-run homer in the fourth inning as the Red Devil baseball team posted an 11-2 win at Elizabethtown College on Wednesday afternoon.
The Red Devils put a run on the board in the second inning after a lead-off double from Phil Werner (Potomac, Md./St. Andrew's). Werner moved to third as senior Steven Haynes (Mt. Kisco, N.Y./Horace Greeley) reached on a base-hit, beating out a sacrifice bunt attempt.
Werner came in to score on a double-steal while Haynes was safe at second. The Blue Jays worked their way out of the inning, stranding Haynes on second. They countered with two runs in the bottom of the second to take the lead.
Ryan Shamp reached on an error and Ryan Shirk tripled to tie the game, 1-1. Shirk came in to score off the bat of Kyle Fackler, who singled to left center to put the Blue Jays in front.
The lead was short-lived however, as first-year Austin Sumners (W. Trenton, N.J./Pennington School) singled, stole second and moved to third off the bat of Robbie Thompson (Camp Hill, Pa./Camp Hill). Sumners came in to score as Ryan Dolan (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Germantown Academy) reached on an error, tying the game, 2-2.
Parker broke things open with a three-run shot to give Dickinson a 4-2 advantage in the fourth. The Red Devils had chances in the fifth and were held in check through the eighth as both pitchers took control of the game.
The bats came alive again in the ninth as the Red Devils erupted with six runs for the final of 11-2. Sumners started things off with a single and Thompson reached on an error, putting runners on second and third. Dolan drew a walk to load the bases.
Werner singled up the middle to score two runs and Haynes tallied an RBI, reaching on another infield hit. Brian McCloud (Medfield, Mass./Medfield) doubled to stretch the lead to 9-2. Rick Hopkins (Egg Harbor Twp., N.J./Holy Spirit) and Luke Besse (Marston Mills, Mass./Barnstable) added RBIs in the inning as well.
Garrett Kurtz (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) recorded four strikeouts in a solid seven inning performance to earn the win. Both runs were unearned and Kurtz did not surrender a walk. Matt Cowell (Devon, Pa./Conestoga) and Cristian Acosta (Santiago, Dominican Republic/Berkshire School) combined for five strikeouts over the final 1.2 innings. Mo Felt (Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School) came on in relief as well.
Werner finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Sumners was one of five Devils with two hits, scoring twice. Parker added three RBIs with his homerun.
The Red Devils improve to 3-8 overall. They return to action tomorrow in their home opener, taking on the University of Scranton at 3:30 pm at MacPhail Field.
