Lancaster Bible College Athletics

The #4-seed Lancaster Bible College Baseball team opened the United East Final Four tournament in La Plume, Pa. on Friday morning as they took on top-seeded Keystone in the opening round, upsetting the Giants as they won the game 11-6 for their third win of the postseason. The Chargers improve to 20-16 overall and advance in the winner's bracket of the tournament while the Giants fall to 28-11 overall and fall to Friday evening's elimination game against #3-seed Penn St. Abington at 7:00 p.m.
 
How it Happened:
The Chargers wasted no time as they scored in the 1st inning after Evan Sareyka (Sr.) came home on a Keystone error for the early 1-0 advantage. After turning a double play in the bottom frame, the Chargers kept their foot on the gas as Shane Stephan (Jr.) and Dylan Witkowski (Sr.) each hit RBI-singles to boost the lead to 3-0 in the 2nd. Two batters later, Donavan Boles (So.) knocked a two-run double to right center, increasing the LBC lead to 5-0 after just two innings as the Chargers capped a four-run frame. After a 1-2-3 inning by Trey Luminella (Fr.) and the defense, the Chargers added another run to their lead in the 3rd inning as Logan Grimm (Fr.) singled up the middle to drive in a run, making it 6-0 Chargers after three. The Giants broke through in the bottom of the 4th to end the shutout and make it 6-1, but the Chargers had an immediate answer in the 5th as Witkowski launched a two-run home run to left center to make it an 8-1 ballgame. Keystone got two back right away to cut the lead to five, then LBC added another in the top of the 6th on a RBI-double by Grimm to make it 9-3. Sareyka collected another RBI in the 7th on a sacrifice fly, then a sacrifice fly by Grimm gave the Chargers their largest lead of the game at 11-3. Keystone rallied in the 8th inning with three runs to cut the lead to five, but LBC closed it out in the 9th to take down the #1-seed in the conference and advance to tomorrow's winners bracket game.
 
By the Numbers:
- The Chargers scored 11 runs on 12 hits and 10 RBI with one error, while the Giants had six runs on seven hits and six RBI with three errors
- Dylan Witkowski led the Chargers on 3-5 at the plate with three RBI, a two-run homer, and two runs scored
- Logan Grimm went 2-4 with a double and three RBI
- Shane Stephan went 2-4 with two walks and two runs scored as well as one RBI
- Trey Luminella (W, 3-3) earned the win on the mound for the Chargers, throwing 6.0 innings with just two earned runs on four hits and a walk with one strikeout against the conference's top seed
- The Giants were led by Dante Ruby and Ethan Schimony with two hits each
 
Information to Know:
This was the Chargers' first-ever win over Keystone in program history and their first win over the #1-seed in the conference tournament since defeating Penn St. Harrisburg 6-3 in game one of the 2021 NEAC Semifinals. The Chargers now have 20 wins this season, securing their third 20-win season in program history and their second in the past three years. LBC has scored 10+ runs in all three playoffs games in 2026 so far, averaging 11.0 runs per game while holding the opposition to 6.3 runs per game on a 3.86 team ERA. The Chargers extend their program record with three postseason wins in the 2026 United East playoffs, earning their fifth playoff win in program history and second true road victory in the postseason all-time. Dylan Witkowski now holds the program record for home runs in a single postseason with three, homering in each of the Chargers' three playoff wins so far.
 
Up Next:
The #4-seed Chargers have moved into the winner's bracket and will play in Game 4 of the championship tournament tomorrow on Saturday, May 9 at 12:00 p.m. against #2-seed Penn St. Harrisburg for a spot in the United East Championship Game.