YORK, Pa. – The bullpen allowed just one run over eight innings as the second-seeded Arcadia University baseball team advanced to the final round of the 2017 MAC Commonwealth Championship Tournament with an 8-4 winner's bracket victory over top-seeded Alvernia Saturday night at PEOPLEsBank Park. The Knights are making their first conference final appearance since 2013.
 
FOR THE RECORD: Arcadia improved to a program-record 31-11 with their second win of the tournament. The Crusaders fell to 27-12-2 with the loss.
 
UP NEXT: Alvernia and Widener will meet a noon Sunday in an elimination game, with the winner advancing to take on the Knights later in the day. Sunday's second game is tentatively schedule for 3 p.m.
 
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The Knights have advanced to the championship round of a conference for just the fifth time in program history, and will be playing for the MAC Commonwealth title for the second time. Arcadia's lone conference tournament win came back in 2004 as a member of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference.
 
ON THE HILL: Freshman Jeremy Sabathne improved to 3-2 this season after allowing just one run with four Ks over five innings of work in relief of junior Jake Lloyd, who didn't return following an injury sustained in the first inning. Junior Mike Boulanger picked up his second save of the season after allowing just one hit with three strikeouts over the final three innings. Dillon Dunne (3-2) suffered the loss after giving up six runs on 10 hits in his six innings of work.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Arcadia's offense erupted for five runs in the top of the first on an RBI-single from senior Justin Chasmar and back-to-back two-run homers off the bats of junior Nick Cardace and senior Jordan Draude. Alvernia got right back in the game with three runs in the bottom of the frame as Nathan Sides drove in two runs with his double to right center before crossing the plate himself on Ben Dubas' single to left. Ethan Francis scored on a sac fly in the bottom of the second, which would be the Crusaders' final run of the game.
 
Draude gave Arcadia a little breathing room after driving in freshman Phil Pierfy with a single up the middle in the top of the third, and later scored the Knights' sixth run in the top of the seventh on junior Drew Coisson's sac fly. Sophomore Luke Hohenstein was hit by a pitch two batters later with the bases loaded to force home classmate Sean Carew for the final run of the game.
 
ARCADIA AT BAT: Draude finished the game 2 for 3 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored, while Chasmar finished the day 2 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored. Cardace was 1 for 5 with a two-run home run, and Pierfy was 1 for 3 with a walk, a hit by pitch and two runs scored.
 
DRAUDE SETS CAREER HOME RUN RECORD: Druade's homer to deep left center in the first was the 16th of his collegiate career and his 10th of the season. He is the first Knight to belt 10 dingers in a season, and has now surpassed the previous career mark of 15 homers hit by Bart Hotchkin.
 
ALVERNIA AT BAT: Sides was 1 for 5 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored, while Mike Crilli was 1 for 2 with a pair of walks, and RBI and a run scored.