Box Score

CHESTER, Pa. – Widener University built a 4-0 lead after four innings of play and held on for a 7-4 win over Lebanon Valley in the Flying Dutchmen’s Commonwealth Conference opener Tuesday afternoon.

Lebanon Valley (3-5, 0-1 CC) was competing for the first time in 11 days since the final day of the team’s Spring Break trip to Florida on March 11. Widener (6-11, 1-3 CC) snapped a seven-game losing streak and won its first Commonwealth Conference game of the season after starting 0-3.

Leadoff hitter B.J. Hogan went 3-for-5 with two RBIs to lead the Pioneers while James Porreca added two hits and two RBIs. Jason Dougherty also drove in a pair of runs for Widener.

Freshman Jared Smith (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) was a perfect 3-for-3 for LVC while sophomore Matt Rich (Summerdale, Pa./East Pennsboro) contributed a pair of hits.

Tony Meccariello shut out the Valley over the first seven innings to pick up the win for Widener. He scattered four hits, struck out six and walked only one. Sophomore Ryan Dalton (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) started for LVC and was charged with the loss. In 7 1/3 innings, Dalton (1-1) gave up six runs on six hits and three walks. He also struck out nine for the second game in a row.

Widener pushed across one run in the first before posting a three-run fourth. But the Dutchmen rallied against Widener reliever Brian Campbell, scoring three times in the eighth to make it a 4-3 game. Senior Jeff Greiger (Riegelsville, Pa./Wilson) drove in a run with a single before two runs scored on a fielder’s choice from junior Craig Denlinger (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield).

The Pioneers padded their lead with three insurance runs in the eighth, but LVC refused to go away. Rich drove in a run with a one-out double in the ninth, but Campbell retired the Valley’s final two batters of the game.

Lebanon Valley returns to the diamond on Wednesday, when the Dutchmen host Delaware Valley College in a MAC non-conference game.

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