The Arcadia University baseball team (20-13-1, 12-6 MCOM) clinched its first playoff berth since 2008 on April 21 with an 11-6 win over the Lebanon Valley College Dutchmen (11-22, 4-14). The Knights also won their 20th game for the first time since the 2007 season, when they went 24-12. David Jacob and Justin Simpson each went 4-5 this afternoon in the victory.

Arcadia jumped out on top in the first inning, as Taylor Schon hit an RBI single and Mike Nessel hit a two-run double. The Knights added one in the second, on an RBI groundout by Jerry Smith, and one in the third, on a SAC fly by Jacobs for a 5-0 lead. Lebanon Valley scored two in the third to make it 5-2, but in the fifth, Simpson hit a two run single for a 7-2 advantage.

The Dutchmen scored two in the fifth and one in the sixth to make it 7-5. Schon made it 9-5 with a two run double in the seventh. Lebanon Valley scored a run in its half of the seventh to make it 9-6, but in the ninth, Elliott Freeman added the exclamation mark with a two-run homer for an 11-6 win.

Jacobs also scored three runs and had an RBI. Simpson scored two runs and had two RBI. Schon went 3-6 with a run scored and an RBI. Marc Gottfrield got the win, pitching five innings and allowing four runs on 10 hits, while striking out five. Jonah van Bemmelen got the save, pitching 3.1 innings in relief and allowing just one run, unearned on three hits.

Arcadia still has a week of games remaining before the postseason. The team will play its non-conference finale on Tuesday, April 23, when it hosts Penn State Abington for a 3:30 p.m. first-pitch on Erny Field.

Photo by Josh Blustein