Game 1 Box Score   Game 2 Box Score

ANNVILLE, Pa.  – The Lebanon Valley College softball team split a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader with Widener University at the LVC Softball Park Sunday afternoon.

LVC (5-9, 3-1 CC) won the opener 8-0 in a game that was called in the fifth inning due to the eight-run rule. Widener (14-5, 4-2 CC) won 7-2 in the nightcap.

Freshman Jenn Roberts (East Petersburg, Pa./Hempfield) pitched another outstanding game in the opener. Roberts (2-4), who threw a no-hitter at Rowan on Thursday and tossed a complete game in a win over Juniata on Saturday, fired a one-hit shutout, the first of her collegiate career, while striking out nine. She struck out the first four batters of the game and retired the first nine batters she faced.

Lebanon Valley gave Roberts more than enough run support when they jumped on Widener starter Stephanie Masseli (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) with five runs in the bottom of the first. Freshman Audrey Benner (Leola, Pa./Conestoga Valley) drove in a run with a bunt before junior Melissa Ulrich (Reinholds, Pa./Cocalico) plated another with a fielder's choice. Junior Chris Jessen (Newfield, N.J./Woodstown) made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly before sophomore Mandi Nace (Liverpool, Pa./Greenwood) cleared the bases with a towering two-run home run down the left field line, Lebanon Valley's first homer of the season.

The Dutchmen sent all nine batters to the plate in the first.

Widener freshman Jackie Howard (Holmes, Pa./Academy of Notre Dame) came on to pitch with two outs in the bottom of the first, and she threw extremely well before running into trouble in the fifth. From the second through the fourth, Howard yielded only two hits and no runs. But LVC broke through with three runs on three hits in the fifth. Jessen drove in a run with a suicide squeeze bunt, then Roberts knocked in a pair with a single to right that ended the game.

Roberts went 3-for-3 for LVC while freshman Amy Batz (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest)  was 2-for-3 at the plate.

In the second game, Widener's Nicole D'Annunzio (Norristown, Pa./Kennedy-Kenrick) and LVC's Alisa Albers (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) locked up in a pitcher's dual in the early going. The scoreboard still read 0-0 heading into the top of the fifth before the Pioneers broke it open with three runs on five hits. Widener added two more in the sixth to make it a 5-0 game.

Lebanon Valley got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth against reliever Debbie Sulecki (Ridley Park, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) with one run on two hits and an error.

Widener put the game out of reach with a two-run seventh. LVC scored the final run of the game when junior Ilyse Resnick (Holland, Pa./Council Rock) doubled and scored on an error.

D'Annunzio pitched five shutout innings to pick up the win for Widener. She allowed four hits and two walks while striking out three. Albers (1-3) was charged with the loss. She gave up three runs on six hits, walked none and struck out three.

Batz went 2-for-4 in the second game to finish the doubleheader 4-for-7. Jessen added a pair of hits in the nightcap.

Lebanon Valley returns to action on Tuesday when it visits Delaware Valley College in a MAC non-conference doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.

[Photo - Freshman Jenn Roberts, who threw a one-hit, five-inning shutout over Widener on Sunday]

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