YORK, Pa. - The second-seeded Arcadia University baseball team defeated top-seeded Alvernia by a final score of 8-4 for the second time in as many days to claim the programs first MAC Commonwealth Championship, and with it the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. This is the programs first conference championship and NCAA tournament berth since winning the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) title in 2004. 

FOR THE RECORD: The Knights improved to a program-record 32-11 after going 3-0 in the 2017 MAC Commonwealth Championship Tournament. The Crusaders fell to 28-13-2 following the loss. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: The Scarlet and Grey struck first by scoring two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Freshman Phil Pierfy led off the frame with a four-pitch walk, before advancing to third on a single to right center off the bat of senior Jordan Draude in the next at-bat. Two at-bats later, with Draude now on second after advancing on a wild pitch, Alvernia starting pitcher Nicholas Marotta balked allowing Pierfy to score and Druade to advance to third. Sophomore Nick Ponente followed with a sac bunt to bring home Druade.
 
Alvernia would strike back two innings later with a pair of runs of their own. Ben Dubas sent a 2-1 offering over the right field wall with one out in the frame, before Colin Rieger singled to center with two outs and runners on the corners to tie the game at two. A two-run fifth inning put the Crusaders in front 4-2, but that lead was short lived.
 
Sophomore Bryan Gillen led off the Knights' half of the fifth with a single to right center before advancing to second on a throwing error by the pitcher on a failed pickoff attempt. Classmate Luke Hohenstein went on to bring Gillen home with a single up the middle. Two batters later, with runners on second and third, Draude sent a 2-2 pitch through the left side for a two-RBI single that drove in the go-ahead run.
 
The Knights tacked on another in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single to short from Hohenstein, before scoring two more in the bottom of the seventh. Those final two runs came on a play with two throwing errors, as Ponente crossed the dish courtesy of an error by the pitcher before sophomore Sean Carew scored on an error by the shortstop.
 
ARCADIA AT THE PLATE: Hohenstein led the Arcadia offense with a 3-5 outing, including two RBI and a run scored. Druade went 2-4 at the dish with two RBI and a run scored, while Carew was 2-3 with a run scored. Gillen swiped two bases.
 
ALVERNIA LEADERS: Rieger and Nathan Sides each went 2-5 for the Crusaders, with Rieger driving in a run and Sides scoring a run. Dubas had a team-high two RBI in a 1-2 performance.
 
ON THE HILL: Freshman Robert Lichtenberger (2-0) picked up the win in relief, allowing two runs on three hits in 1.1 innings of work. Junior Connor Laigaie picked up his second save of the season by throwing four shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts. Freshman Andrew Scholz got the start, allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 3.2 innings. Jarrad Graver (2-2) took the loss in relief, allowing three runs on four hits. Marotta threw two innings, allowing two runs on two hits with a walk and a hit batter.