Though they won't be playing any more meaningful games on Charger Field, Lancaster Bible seniors Nate Long and Caleb Mayer will certainly have stories to tell for the rest of their lives following their performances on Saturday. Long and Mayer powered the Chargers to a 6-4, game two victory as Lancaster Bible ended its season with a doubleheader split against Penn St. Abington on a gorgeous day in Lancaster, Pa. The Nittany Lions, who will be the number two seed in the upcoming North Eastern Athletic Conference Playoffs, won game one, 18-8. 

With the split, Lancaster Bible finishes the 2015 season with a 12-20 overall record and a 5-9 mark in NEAC play. The Nittany Lions are now 17-18 overall and finish conference play with an 11-3 record.

Penn St. Abington dominated game one as the Nittany Lions pounded out 15 hits over nine innings and scored 15 runs in the first four innings. Anthony Pletscher had a team-high four runs batted in, while Pat Fitzgerald and Max German each had three hits for Abington. Despite the loss, the Chargers had plenty of hits as well, as they smashed 14 hits, but the Chargers simply couldn't keep up with the high-powered Nittany Lions. 

Long led the Chargers in game one as he was 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. Justin Taylor and Erich Carroll were both 3-for-5 as Carroll knocked in three runs, while Taylor scored three runs. Long, Taylor and Carroll combined for 10 of Lancaster Bible's 14 game one hits, while Ryan Hartline added two hits as well. Braden Elliott and Jimmy Eagan had the other Lancaster Bible hits as the Chargers lost for just the fourth time in 10 home games.



Game two was a much different story as Lancaster Bible starter Zack Leonard pitched brilliantly. Though he scattered nine hits over 6 2/3 innings, Leonard was able to work out of jams and keep the Chargers in the game. Penn St. Abington took a 2-0 lead in the third inning thanks to two sacrifice fly balls, but Lancaster Bible responded in the bottom half of the inning as the Chargers had four straight batters reach base. Senior Caleb Mayer put the Chargers on the board with his second home run of the season, as his solo blast cleared the center field wall much to the delight of his teammates and the large home crowd gathered. 

Nate Long singled and Carroll followed with a double that scored Long and tied the game at 2-2. After a Jimmy Eagan walk and the second out of the inning, freshman Josh Mayer singled which scored Carroll and put the Chargers ahead for the first time all day.

Abington tied the game in the top half of the fourth and then took the lead in the top of the sixth, 4-3, on Fran Caruso's first home run of the season.

Cue the storybook ending.

In the sixth, Hartline reached base after being hit by a pitch and Taylor followed that with his third hit of the game. After the first out of the inning, senior Nate Long drove a pitch over the center field wall for a three-run home run that put the Chargers ahead 6-4. It was Long's fourth hit of the game as he had back-to-back games with four hits.

In the seventh, Leonard got the first batters out and Long was brought in to pitch one more time as he pitched during his first two seasons with the Chargers, but had not pitched this season prior to Saturday due to injuries to his arm. Abington put two runners on and brought the go-ahead runner to the plate, but Long got Trey Guaglionona to strikeout looking to end the game.

Long finished game two 4-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. For the day, Long was 8-of-9 with five RBI and five runs scored. He caps his tremendous season with a .454 batting average which is far-and-away the highest mark in the NEAC and added 44 hits and 31 RBI in 28 games. Josh Mayer and Carroll each had two hits in game two as Carroll finished with 43 hits this season. Taylor was 3-for-4 with a run scored in game two as he finished tied with Long for the team lead in hits with 44. 

"Caleb and Nate have been great leaders this year," Lancaster Bible Head Coach T.J. Horn said. "They have made a greater impact off the field as leaders than they have on the field. Both men have been a crucial part of the growth of this program and will be greatly missed."

Horn went on, "Nate has been a phenomenal player for us this year and is one of the better players in the conference," Horn said. "He has improved every part of his game over the past three years and has all of the tools."

Horn also talked about Mayer, the Chargers' lone four-year senior. "Caleb has done everything he could to help this team win," Horn said. "Even when he wasn't on the mound, he loves the team so much and would do anything to help the guys win."

Leonard earned the game two win as he struck out eight and walked just one. He finished his impressive freshman campaign with a 3-4 record and a 4.22 earned run average. He recorded a team-high 48 strikeouts and allowed just 23 earned runs in 49 innings. 

Notes:
-The game two victory for the Chargers snaps an eight-game losing streak to Penn St. Abington.

-Long also leads the NEAC with seven home runs this season.

-Leonard's 48 strikeouts are the second highest mark in the conference.