ANNVILLE, Pa. – The No. 3/7 TCNJ baseball team earned a 9-5 non-conference victory over Lebanon Valley on Tuesday afternoon in a non-conference game. David Cardona III homered, and Jacob Simon went 3-for-5.
 
TCNJ (23-3) jumped out to a 7-0 lead through five innings. Cardona hit his first home run of the season with a solo shot with two outs in the first to get the Lions on the board. In the second, Gary Otten reached on a hit-by-pitch and later scored on a Chris Reeder sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
 
The Lions scored three more in the fourth. TCNJ loaded the bases with nobody out. Simon singled, Tommy McCarthy walked, and Otten reached on a bunt single. Ryan Fischer moved everyone ahead a station with a single up the middle, scoring Simon to make it 3-0. After an out, Matt Giacose singled to score McCarthy to push the lead to 4-0. Danny Borup reached on an error, scoring Otten to make it 5-0.
 
The Lions scored two more in the top of the fifth. Otten flied out to score Cardona, and Reeder doubled home Simon to make it 7-0.
 
Starting pitcher Tom Kelly didn't allow a run until the sixth inning. He finished with six innings pitched, the one run, and six hits allowed. Lebanon Valley made it interesting with three more runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it 7-4, but TCNJ got some insurance in the ninth.
 
McCarthy singled home Simon to make it 8-4, and Fischer doubled home McCarthy to make it 9-4. Lebanon Valley did score a run in its last at-bat, but it never seriously threatened in the frame. Nickolas Kleftogiannis shut down the Dutchmen in the last three innings to earn a save, allowing just one hit.
 
Fischer and Reeder led the Lions with two RBIs apiece.
 
The Lions moved up in both polls this week. TCNJ moved up one spot in the ABCA Coaches' Poll from No. 4 to No. 3. The Lions also jumped four spots in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 media poll from No. 11 to No. 7.
 
With impending poor weather on Friday, the Lions' game at Rowan has been moved to Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Thursday's home game against Rowan remains as scheduled at 3:30 p.m.
 
Rowan also moved up in both polls. The Profs are now ranked No. 6 in the coaches' poll and No. 4 in the media poll. Rowan earned two first-place votes in the media poll.