PHOENIXVILLE, PA- The men's baseball team played host to Baptist Bible College in their final game of the week.  The Patriots, who were still looking for a win, came out swinging, defeating the Defenders in game one, 7-13, but couldn't manage a sweep and gave the second game to the visitors, 10-13.

After walking the first batter, the Patriots set the stage for an exciting game, immediately getting two outs with a double play from James Comenzo grounding a hit, stepping on second and nailing it to first base to rally the team and leave the bases empty.  The men ended the inning with a fly out to center field.  Moving forward, the men recorded two runs from Matthew McKenzie and Jared Boothman.

The team stayed at two runs through the fifth inning while the Defenders tied it up, gaining one run in the second and another at the top of the fourth.  Finally in the bottom of the sixth, after keeping the Defenders at bay with zero runs, the floodgates opened for the Patriots, earning seven runs on three hits. 

McKenzie got things going, singling up the left side and advancing to third on two passed balls.  Josh Strohm took a free pass to first and stole second, putting two players in scoring position.  Boothman stepped up, drilling the ball up the middle to bring in two RBI's.  The Defenders took a moment to change their defense, hoping to break the rhythm, but it did little good as the Patriots loaded the bases after Comenzo was hit by a pitch and Strohm was walked.  Jon Hadinger didn't disappoint as he singled through the left side, just deep enough to bring in Boothman and Comenzo for two more runs, 6-2.   

The Patriots continued to do damage as they loaded up the bases three more times, waiting out the pitchers to gain a free walk to first.  Finally, with the score now 9-2, the Defenders' pitcher got the better of the Patriots, striking out three in a row and bringing the inning to an end. 

The visitors etched three runs of their own in the top of the sixth, to trail the Patriots 9-5, but that didn't faze the host school as they recorded another seven runs in the bottom of the inning with a second record of four doubles from McKenzie, Boothman, Comenzo and Profetto.  By the time the dust settled the score was 16-5.  The Defenders did manage two more runs in the seventh but it wouldn't be enough to catch up.  The Patriots recorded their first victory, 16-7!

Game two kept everyone on the edge of their seat, with the teams going run for run for a tied game, 8-8, going into the seventh and final inning.  The Defenders pulled ahead, earning four runs with two outs against them to take the lead, 13-8.  The Patriots recorded two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, fighting two outs of their own before the Defenders put the game to rest with a strikeout and a final score of 13-10. 

Matthew McKenzie had a standout game, going 5-for-7 with four runs and four RBI's including two doubles in game one.

Jared Boothman went 4-for-9, grabbing six RBI's and four runs, while Jon Hadinger went 2-for-5 in game one with two runs and two RBI's. 

The big player was James Comenzo, earning nine putouts, with two double plays.  He went 3-for-7 with five runs and five RBI's including a double in game one and home run in game two.

The Patriots take a few days rest for playing their final game of the regular season at Delaware Valley College on Wednesday, April 30.  The doubleheader is scheduled to start at 1:30pm.

Go Patriots!