MARCH 20, 2010
KING'S BASEBALL SWEEPS SEASON SERIES FROM MISERICORDIA
DALLAS – The King's College baseball team completed a three-game season series sweep of Freedom Conference rival Misericordia University as the Monarchs won the final two games of the slate Saturday in Dallas. King's, which won Friday's single-game at home 4-2, captured both games on the road by scores of 2-0 and 10-8.
In the process, King's improved to 6-2 and 3-0 in Freedom Conference play while Misericordia slipped to 7-5 and 0-3 in league games.
In the opener, the Monarchs took a 1-0 lead after their first at-bat when Rob Fravel reached base on a fielder's choice and later scored off a RBI single from Matt Unger. The score would remain the same until the sixth inning when Fravel singled, moved to second on a bunt by Sean Rooney, and eventually came home on a Misericordia fielding error. Tommy Rozelle picked up the pitching win for the Monarchs, scattering four hits over seven complete innings and striking out a career-best 12 batters.
In the nightcap, King's used a run in the first inning, two in the second, and three more in the third frame to build a 6-1 advantage. After the Cougars plated four runs in the bottom of the fourth climb back to within 6-5, King's added two more in the fourth. Fravel and Matt Unger would single and both would later score on a base hit by Eric Matula to give the Monarchs a 8-5 advantage. In the bottom of the fourth, however, Misericordia scored three more runs to tie the game at 8-8.
King's countered with what proved to be the deciding runs in the top half of the fifth inning when Sweeney and Fravel singled, followed by a run-scoring single from Matt Unger to give the Monarchs a 9-8 lead. Mike Kusters then doubled to bring home Fravel with an insurance run.
Unger was 3-for-4 with three RBI while Mike Fingar finished 2-for-4 with two RBI. Fravel, Rooney, and Kusters contributed with two hits each as the Monarchs banged out 14 hits in the game.
Richie Pruzinsky picked up the win, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out two in relief of starter Joe Dorbad. Bobby Buttafogo earned the save, tossing two and one-third innings of hitless relief.
The Monarchs return to action Sunday with a 12:00 noon matchup at Marywood University in Scranton.
