WILMINGTON, DE - The well-known adage claiming that "the third time's a charm" just isn't always true, as the baseball found out late Monday night.
The Crimson Eagles, playing in their last nonconference tune-up of the year against traditional powerhouse Wesley College, struggled to slow down the Wolverine's offensive firepower Monday evening at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium, home field to minor league baseball affiliate Wilmington Blue Rocks. The 15-3 loss marks the third time this year that Wesley has gotten the better end of the Crimson Eagles as the Wolverines dropped PBU in back-to-back games in South Carolina in early March.
Playing in just their second night contest of the season - this time under the bright lights of a big-time stadium - PBU allowed two or more scores in six of eight defensive innings and gave up double digit runs for the third straight contest, marking the 11th time overall this season. To compound matters, the Crimson Eagles found themselves amidst an offensive plague as the group whiffed at the plate more than any other game this year - 16 times to be exact.
After both teams came up scoreless in the first, Wesley began to get things rolling in the bottom of the second. A somewhat dreadful defensive performance allowed the Wolverines to jump out to a 3-0 lead aided by two Crimson Eagle errors, a wild pitch, and a walk. Wesley tagged three more runs the following stanza to go up 6-0, but a Thomas Fenwick single with two outs in the top of the fourth drove in two runs to put PBU on the board and keep the visitors within striking distance.
But, despite their efforts, the defensive spiral that had already begun for the Crimson Eagles ceased to halt and continued deep into the latter innings of the contest.
PBU allowed two runs in the fourth, three in the fifth, and two scores in the seventh and eighth innings to give the squad their fifth largest defeat of the year in the process, a 12 run upheaval. PBU's pitching staff gave up 15 hits on the night and walked seven batters - their worst number in 11 outings.
Leading the way statistically for PBU was senior Joel Dager, who notched his team leading eighth multi-hit game of the year in the loss after going two for three at the plate with a walk. Senior Lance Svendsen chipped in two hits in four at bats while scoring two-thirds of PBU's runs for the game. Thomas Fenwick, Bobby Lefko, Jon Shepherd, and Lee Perkins all charted a solo hit.
The Crimson Eagles will proceed to play on back-to-back days in their final two regular season conference contests of the year. The team will play in a doubleheader on Thursday in Reading, PA against Penn State Berks at 1:00 pm and will follow-up by hosting two games against Cazenovia College on Friday, starting with the first contest at 2:00 pm. PBU will need to take care of business in order to keep their postseason hopes alive as the squad currently sits three games out of the fourth and final playoff spot.
