Game 5 Box Score Game 6 Box Score Game 7 Box Score
ANNVILLE, Pa. – Lebanon Valley came ever-so-close to pulling off a major upset, but seventh-ranked Moravian College defeated the Flying Dutchmen 2-1 Saturday afternoon in the second championship game of the MAC Commonwealth Conference Softball Championships, hosted by Lebanon Valley College at the LVC Softball Park.
Top seed Moravian (34-4) survived the scare and came away with its fourth straight Commonwealth Conference title. The Greyhounds become just the second team to win four consecutive Commonwealth or MAC softball championships, as Messiah College won four MAC crowns in a row from 1996-99.
In the tournament's final game, second seed LVC (16-20) had the tying run on third and the winning run on first with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. But Moravian starting pitcher Donna Weiner induced a flyout to end the game. The win was Weiner's 15th in a row and it gave the Greyhounds an automatic bid in the NCAA Division III Championships.
Lebanon Valley defeated Susquehanna 9-1 earlier in the day to advance to the championship game of the double-elimination tournament. The Dutchmen then defeated Moravian 2-1 behind a three-hit complete game from freshman Jenn Roberts (East Petersburg, Pa./Hempfield) to force a second and deciding championship.
LVC's victory over Moravian in the first championship ended the Greyhounds' run of 11 straight wins in the Commonwealth Conference tournament.
In the first game of the day, Susquehanna defeated four seed Juniata College 5-2 in Game Four of the tournament, setting up a rematch with LVC in Game Five. After the Dutchmen defeated SU 4-0 the day before, LVC exploded for six runs in the bottom of the first against Crusader starter Jess Nastelli. The big blow was a bases-loaded triple by junior Melissa Ulrich (Reinholds, Pa./Cocalico) that plated the Dutchmen's first three runs.
Lebanon Valley took a 7-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth, then scored two runs on a two-run double by freshman Kelly O'Toole (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) to bring the game to an end due to the eight-run rule.
O'Toole, who finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs at the plate, also started in the circle for LVC and fired her fourth complete game of the season. O'Toole (6-2) yielded only five hits and no walks while striking out two.
Susquehanna starter Jess Nastelli (6-5) lasted just 1/3 of an inning and took the loss.
Freshman Amy Batz (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) went 3-for-4 for the Valley while junior Chris Jessen (Newfield, N.J./Woodstown) and sophomore Mandi Nace (Liverpool, Pa./Greenwood) rapped two hits apiece.
In the first championship game, Roberts was superb in the early going and retired the first 12 batters she faced. Ulrich gave LVC a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth when she belted a home run down the leftfield line off Moravian starter Meagan Hennessy.
Roberts' perfect game ended in the bottom of the fifth when Melissa Soroka led off with a single up the middle. She scored three batters later on a single to left by Jessica Esposito, knotting the game 1-1.
LVC pushed across what held up as the game-winning run in the top of the seventh when O'Toole came through once again, ripping a pinch-hit double with one out. Three batters later, junior Ilyse Resnick (Holland, Pa./Council Rock), who pinch-ran for O'Toole, scored on a fielder's choice from Batz.
Roberts (7-10) retired the Greyhounds in order in the seventh to hand Moravian its first loss of the season against a Commonwealth Conference opponent. The 'Hounds went 14-0 in conference play during the regular season and won their first two conference tournament games.
Roberts walked one and struck out four and came away with her 10th complete game of the season. She ended the year with 102 strikeouts, becoming the first player at LVC to exceed 100 K's in a season since Amy Zellers '00 fanned 134 in 2000.
In the final championship game, both teams hit the ball well but the scoreboard read 0-0 after five innings of play. Starting pitchers Weiner and O'Toole each allowed six hits over the first five frames but the two teams combined to leave 12 runners on base.
Moravian finally broke through in the sixth against LVC reliever Alisa Albers (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin). Soroka led off with an infield single, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. She moved up to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a fielder's choice by Esposito. The Greyhounds crossed the plate again when pinch-hitter Richelle McWilliams singled home Danielle Carrione, who had walked earlier in the inning. Roberts then came on in relief and induced a groundout to end the inning.
The Valley made it a 2-1 game in the bottom of the sixth when Ulrich led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Roberts, and scored from second on a two-out single to right-center by Nace.
After Roberts retired the side in order in the seventh, Benner and senior Kristin Crouse (Columbia, Pa./Columbia) led off the bottom of the frame with back-to-back singles. Batz then reached on a fielder's choice, putting runners on the corners with two outs before Weiner's tournament-clinching flyout.
Weiner (15-1) scattered 10 hits while walking none and striking out one. In five scoreless innings, O'Toole allowed six hits and no walks. She struck out three.
Albers (2-6) was charged with the loss, as she allowed two runs on two hits and one walk. Roberts threw 1 1/3 perfect innings.
Nace finished 3-for-3 in the game while Crouse and Ulrich had two hits apiece.
[Photo - Junior Melissa Ulrich, who had five hits, four RBIs and a home run on Day Two of the Commonwealth Conference softball championships on Saturday]
-lvc-
