BETHLEHEM, Pa. (April 11, 2016) – You name it,
Tommy Broyles did it.
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The junior batted 5-for-5 with three RBIs and two home runs, including the game-tying home run in the eighth inning, then picked up the win on the mound by throwing the final scoreless 2.2 innings in a wild 12-10 victory in the rubber match of a Landmark Conference series at Moravian College.
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Top Performers: Broyles added four runs scored to his 5-for-5 day at the plate and struck out six batters on the mound, including the final three to end the game. Freshman left fielder
Jayson Mitch was 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs, including the eventual game-winning hit in the top of the eighth. Junior third baseman
Jonathan Rodrigues and sophomore shortstop
Isaiah Mateo each turned in a 2-for-4, two RBI effort in the victory.
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The Turning Point: Drew led 4-0, 6-2 and 9-3 at different points of the game, with Broyles' first home run of the game providing the 9-3 advantage in the sixth. Already showing plenty of fight, the Greyhounds came all the way back in the sixth and seventh innings to take a 10-9 lead. The difference was the clutch performances by the Rangers in the eighth, when Broyles' second home run of the game tied the game, followed by a go-ahead RBI by Mitch and an insurance run provided by Mateo's single.
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Broyles, meanwhile was on the mound for Drew, and allowed just one base runner over the final 2.2 innings while getting six strikeouts. Moravian led off the ninth with a single, but Broyles struck out the side to end the game and win his first game on the mound in 2016.
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Other Highlights: Mitch recorded RBIs in three separate plate appearances on Monday, including drawing a bases-loaded walk in the four-run first inning. The first inning also featured an RBI single by junior catcher
Mike Miraglia to begin the 22-run affair, and a two-run single by Rodrigues.
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Playoff Picture: With just three Landmark series remaining, Drew improves to 14-13 overall and 7-5 in the league. That brings them into a three-way tie for second place with Elizabethtown and Moravian (13-13, 7-5). The Rangers now hold the tiebreaker over Moravian by winning the series 2-1, and will play Elizabethtown at home the weekend of April 23.
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Up Next: The Rangers continue non-conference play at Keystone College on Wednesday, April 13 at 3:00 p.m. in La Plume, Pa. Keystone is currently receiving votes in the latest D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 Poll.
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