Rangers Drop First Two to Juniata 

HUNTINGDON, Pa. (April 2, 2010) – The Rangers (2-16, 2-6 Landmark) could not tame the Eagle bats this afternoon as Juniata (5-16, 3-5 Landmark) scored a total of 26 runs in the twin bill. Chris DelMaestro (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) drove in three runs on the day for Drew. 

Game 1
The Rangers got the scoring going of the first game and put up three runs in the top of the third inning. Sophomore Drew Obergfell (Cranford, N.J/Roselle Catholic) led off the inning with a double that got through the right side. He would later score on a DelMaestro ground out. With runners on second and third and only one out Michael Bodden (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) stepped to the plate and delivered a single that would score Corey Napier (Chester, Conn./Valley Regional) and Neil Cashes (Little Silver, N.J./Red Bank Regional). 

Juniata would answer with a run in the bottom half of the inning making the score 3-1 but the Ranger bats were not done. Cashes and Obergfell would team up again to aid another rally in the top of the fourth. Obergfell reached on his second double in as many innings. Cashes then came up and brought home Louis Gialanella (Long Branch, N.J./Long Branch), who reached on a walk earlier in the inning, on a short fly out to the first basemen. Obergfell would come across on a Juniata error to round off the scoring for the Rangers. 

The fifth inning is when it came apart for the Drew pitching and defense as they were not able to hold the 5-1 advantage. Juniata posted six runs in the bottom half of the frame and it would take three Ranger pitchers to record the three outs. With the Eagles now up three runs, they left it for starter Tyler Clifford to win. He would allow only one hit in the next two innings and pitch himself out bases loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh inning to seal the 8-6 victory. 

Game 2
Pitching was the name of the game for the Eagles in game two. Sophomore starter Matt Regan surrendered only two runs on three hits and earned his third win of the season. 

He would have only one slip up in the first inning. Napier, the first batter of the game, was issued a walk and once aboard he swiped second base. With a man on, DelMaestro was at it again as he singled to right field bringing home Napier for the Rangers first run only two batters into the game. Bodden would then double and thanks to an Eagle throwing error Napier would score all the way from first. 

That would be virtually all for the Ranger offense and just the beginning for the Eagle offense. Juniata put up a run in all six innings it came to the plate and the Eagle pitching scattered two hits from over six innings to blow out Drew 16-2. The Rangers committed a season-high six errors and allowed 18 hits, the second highest total of the season. 

The Rangers look to salvage the series tomorrow afternoon as the wrap up their third Landmark Conference series of the year at noon. A win would pull Drew even in the conference standings with Juniata.