Box Score

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Dean Whetham led five Elizabethtown batters with three hits apiece to lift the Blue Jays to an 18-10 non-conference baseball victory over visiting Gettysburg on Tuesday.

Nathan Smith (Milford, NY/Cooperstown) paced the Bullets (16-19-1) with a 4-for-4 afternoon with one RBI and two runs scored.

Elizabethtown (18-15) got a three-run home run and four RBIs from Whetham, with the homer coming as part of a seven-run seventh inning.

Trailing 2-0 after three innings, Gettysburg plated seven runs in the top of the fourth.

After walking in the first inning, Joe Bonyai (Torrington, CT/Hotchkiss School) started his 3-for-3 day with a single to open the fourth. After a flyout, Austin Ball (Farmingdale, NY/Hills East) singled and Mike Luteran (Livingston, NJ/Livingston) followed with a walk to load the bases.

After the second out of the inning, Mark Campo (Arendtsville, PA/Biglerville) singled home Bonyai and Ball to knot the game at 2-all.

Brian Pernice (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown) continued the rally with a bases-clearing double to give the Bullets a 4-2 advantage. Smith, Ron Lettieri (South Hempstead, NY/South Side), Bonyai and Brendan McDonald (Bennington, VT/Mt. Anthony Union) all singled to push the lead to 7-2, and knock Blue Jay starter Scott Beard out of the game. Jon Weitz came on in relief and did not even need to face a batter, catching Bonyai on a steal of home.

Elizabethtown countered with six runs in the bottom half of the fourth to regain the lead at 8-7.

After Eric Wetzel singled to start the inning, Adam Rebert and Mike Nocar hit back-to-back home runs to cut the lead to 7-5.

With two outs, Jon Kalejta started a two-out rally with a base hit and Zach Bright followed with a single of his own to put runners at the corners.

Brad Duppstadt tripled to knot the game at 7-all before a Whetham double gave Etown the lead for good.      

The Blue Jays added three more runs on four hits in the fifth to stretch the lead to 11-7 before plating seven in the seventh for an 18-7 advantage.

In the seventh inning, Kalejta reached on a single but was caught stealing for the second out of the inning. Pat Flynn (New York, NY/Poly Prep Country Day School) – seeing his first action of 2004 on the hill – issued back-to-back walks before Whetham went yard. Wetzel followed with a single to end Flynn's day after two innings and four runs on four hits.

Rebert singled and Nocar walked to load the bases. Two straight doubles added four more runs and was the end of the day for Gettysburg's third pitcher Chris Threadgill (Pottstown, PA/The Hill School).

Ross Hempel (Marriottsville, MD/Glenelg) came on to strikeout Kalejta for the final out of the inning.

The Bullets grabbed three unearned runs in the eighth courtesy of a Mike Cipolloni (Riegelsville, PA/Germantown Academy) double with the bases loaded, but could get no closer.

The two squads combined for 38 hits on the afternoon, including 10 for extra bases. Of the 10 extra-base hits, Pernice's fourth-inning double and Cipolloni's eighth-inning two-bagger were the only ones by Gettysburg.

The 18 runs, 22 hits and three home runs were all season highs surrendered by the Bullets.

Gettysburg starter Tom Gallione (Demarest, NJ/Northern Valley) got tagged for 10 earned runs on 15 hits to drop his record to 3-5.

Kalejta, Duppstadt, Rebert and Nocar all joined Whetham with three-hit performances for the Blue Jays.

The Bullets return to action on Tuesday in their final home game against York (Pa.). First pitch is 3:30 p.m.

Tom Gallione, Pat Flynn (5), Chris Threadgill (7), Ross Hempel (7) and Brendan McDonald; Scott Beard, Jon Weitz (4), Eric Guise (9) and Bryan Torresani. WP: Weitz. LP: Gallione (3-5). S: none. SO-BB: Gallione 1-1, Flynn 1-3, Threadgill 0-1, Hempel 2-0; Beard 3-3, Weitz 2-1, Guise 0-0. 2B: Brian Pernice (G), Mike Cipolloni (G), Dean Whetham (E), Mark Greider (E), Adam Rebert (E), Mark Bentz (E), Bryan Torresani (E). 3B: Brad Duppstadt (E). HR: Dean Whetham (E), Adam Rebert (E), Mike Nocar (E).

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