Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 It took until the middle of April, but the Lancaster Bible baseball team that everyone thought they would see all season long finally showed up on Tuesday as the Chargers swept a doubleheader from Cairn. 

Micah McClay was brilliant on the hill in game one, while the LBC bats powered the Chargers to a game two victory. McClay pitched a complete game in game one as he allowed just three hits and struck out four. He got immediate run support from his teammates as the Chargers scored three runs in both the first and second innings. 

After a Kody Godsey double opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, Tim Landis, Jr. singled home DiFilippo and Godsey to make it 3-0 just one batter later. LBC's fourth run may have been the most surprising all season as Brian Taliercio (5'8", 145 pounds soaking wet) crushed a solo shot to left field. Taliercio's cousin, Matt, normally the only power hitter in the family, matched his relative's feat later in the inning with a two-run home run to dead center field.

Highlanders' starter Joey Nieves-Markee settled in after the second as the Chargers managed just two hits the rest of the way, one of which was an RBI single by Frank DiFilippo. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Chargers as they improved to 6-16. 

Game two began and finished much differently as Cairn jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Chargers' ace, Justin Long, had trouble finding any type of rhythm in game two as he committed two errors in his 1 2/3 innings of work. Receiving just over a run per game in run support, Long was given a reprieve for his first inning performance as Matt Taliercio smacked his second home run of the day to dead center, a three-run home run this time, to give LBC a 3-2 lead.

The Highlanders (5-23) fought right back in the top half of the second inning as they loaded the bases, after tying the game, for catcher Dan Rendon, who hit a grand slam to give Cairn a 7-3 lead. Rendon's home run ended Long's day as Richard Westerlund came on in relief. 

LBC began to chip away at the deficit in the bottom of the third as McClay hit his first home run of the season. DiFilippo singled home Nate Long three batters later as LBC trailed 7-5 heading to the top of the fourth.

Caleb Lang got one of Cairn's runs back as he hit a home run in the fourth, but the Chargers scored two more times in the fourth and cut the deficit to one, 8-7 heading to the fifth inning. After Westerlund got the Highlanders in order in the top of the fifth, Chargers' catcher Jake Ritchey hit an RBI single to tie the game at 8-8 in the bottom half of the inning. A pumped up Ritchey fist-pumped his way up the first baseline, but little did he or anyone else know the fireworks were just beginning.

With the game tied at 8-8, the Highlanders' Jeremy McAlack and Caleb Moore reached base to lead off the sixth inning and Lang made LBC pay with his second home run of the game which gave Cairn an 11-8 lead. Westerlund retired the side in order after that as LBC came to bat in the bottom of the sixth.

After Westerlund singled home Nate Long who had doubled to lead off the inning, Peter Shue's sac fly scored Matt Taliercio who had walked earlier in the inning. Four batters later, with two outs, Sean Westerlund singled home Tim Landis to give LBC a 12-11 lead. The next batter, McClay, was hit by a pitch which brought Long to the plate for the second time in the inning. 

Michael DeLuca came in pitch against Long and Long made him pay immediately as he drove a pitch over the left field wall for a grand slam which gave the Chargers a 16-11 lead. The next batter, Taliercio, also greeted DeLuca with a home run as he drilled a shot into the wind that easily cleared the right field fence.

The Highlanders loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, but Taliercio struck out Lang to end the game and give the Chargers a sweep of the Highlanders.

Long finished game two with three hits, four runs scored and five RBI, while Taliercio was 2-for-2 with two home runs, three runs scored and four RBI. DiFilippo added one hit in game two to go with his 3-for-4 performance in game one, while Micah McClay was 3-for-4 in game two. Tim Landis, Jr., Jake Ritchey and Sean Westerlund each had two hits for LBC as they improved to 7-16.

The victories give LBC a perfect 4-0 record in NCCAA East Region play. They will be the top seed in the East Region playoffs which will be later this month at a date to be determined. The Chargers return to the diamond on Friday when they head North to take on Cazenovia in NEAC play. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 1 p.m.