ANNVILLE, Pa. - Stevenson baseball junior Craig Joseph and senior Brody Tennant combined for six hits, three runs and two RBIs as the Mustangs split a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader at Lebanon Valley Saturday, winning game two 5-1 after dropping the opener 4-3 at McGill Field.
Stevenson (6-8-2, 5-2 MAC) maintained its hold of third place in the conference standings, but had its four-game conference winning streak snapped.
Joseph and Tennant each went 3-for-7 with one RBI on the day while Tennant scored twice.
The Mustangs jumped out to a 2-0 lead after an RBI-single by junior Ian Eberly and a fielder's choice by sophomore Matt Marinelli.
While Stevenson built its two-run lead, junior Matt Myers held the Dutchmen (6-8, 2-3 MAC) scoreless through five innings, limiting them to just three hits and four baserunners.
However, Lebanon Valley broke through in the bottom of the sixth, plating four runs on five hits while taking the lead on an RBI-single by Matthew Smarkanic that scored Brett Fundell. The Dutchmen then added the game-winning run during the next at-bat when pinch hitter Glenn Dietrich drove in Phil Dohner with an RBI-ground out to put them ahead 4-2.
The Mustangs got one run back in the top of the seventh on an RBI-ground out by freshman Billy Small, but couldn't drive in the game-tying run from third base after a walk by Marinelli and a ground out by Eberly.
Tennant finished 2-for-3 while junior Nick Peifer was 1-for-2 with two runs scored. Myers suffered his first loss after allowing four runs on eight hits over 5.1 innings.
In the nightcap, Stevenson took a 5-0 lead in the top of the fifth on an RBI-double by Joseph and an RBI-single by Tennant. Freshman John D'Aquanno started the scoring in the three-run fifth with an RBI-ground out that scored senior Frederick Casper.
D'Aquanno also drove in Casper to score the game's first run in the top of the third.
Trailing 5-0, the Dutchmen scored their lone run in the bottom of the fifth when Smarkanic scored on an error that should have been the third out of the inning after he led off the inning with a double to right center.
D'Aquanno finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs while Joseph was 3-for-4 with one RBI. Tennant went 1-for-4 with one RBI.
Freshman Daniel Williams picked up his first career win, scattering four hits and striking out four over 4.1 innings. He also did not allow and earned run. Junior Trevor Fitzsimmons pitched the final 2.2 scoreless innings and did not allow a hit.
The Mustangs return home to host a doubleheader with Penn State Abington at Park Field tomorrow beginning at noon.
