Game 1 Box Score   Game 2 Box Score

ANNVILLE, Pa. – Lebanon Valley won 9-4 in the opener, but Susquehanna took advantage of 13 walks in the nightcap en route to a 14-5 win in a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at a sunny McGill Park.

The Flying Dutchmen are now 13-9 and 5-7 in the Commonwealth Conference with nine league games remaining. Susquehanna (3-16, 1-11 CC) picked up its first Commonwealth victory of the season with its Game Two win. The Crusaders also snapped a 15-game losing streak against Lebanon Valley, as they beat the Dutchmen for the first time since 1999.

In the first game, senior pitcher Robert Nordall started and held the Crusaders to four runs in four innings to earn the win. Freshman Ben Christopher came on to throw three shutout innings to pick up the save.

Freshman starter Brian Diebold scattered nine hits to come away with the win for Susquehanna in the second game while his counterpart, senior Dennis Reilly, was tagged with the loss after giving up eight runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Lebanon Valley never trailed in the first game after jumping out to a 6-1 lead after three innings of play. Senior centerfielder Scott Montgomery put LVC on the scoreboard in the first when he reached on an error leading off, stole second and third, and scored on a wild pitch.

After Susquehanna tied it up on three straight singles in the second, the Dutchmen scored another unorthodox run in the bottom of the frame. Freshman shortstop John Mentzer reached on a wild-pitch strike-three to lead off the inning, stole second, and scored on an RBI-single to right by freshman second baseman Corey Lamoureux.

The Dutchmen gave themselves some breathing room with a four-hit, four-run third against Susquehanna starter Ryan Leneis (0-1). With runners on second and third, freshman designated hitter Chris Schank poked a single over the second base bag and past a drawn-in infield to score both runners. Two batters later, Lamoureux lined a double into the left-center gap to score Schank. Junior third baseman Alex Morrison then drilled a single through the left side to bring home Lamoureux from second following a single from junior catcher Matt Rich.

Susquehanna scored three runs on three hits and two errors in the fourth to make it a 6-3 game, but the Dutchmen came back with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning. Senior first baseman Craig Denlinger singled, stole second, and scored three batters later on  Mentzer one-bagger.

Lebanon Valley tacked on two insurance run in the sixth on RBI-singles from Mentzer and Rich.

Nordall (2-3) scattered six hits, walked five and struck out four to earn his first win since Feb. 28. Christopher retired nine of the 11 batters he faced, allowing only an infield single and a walk while striking out one.

The Dutchmen had a season-high six stolen bases in the opener.

Susquehanna wasted little building a big lead in the nightcap, scoring six times on four runs and a walk in the first while sending 10 batters to the plate. The Crusaders added two more runs in the second on one hit and three walks, and the Dutchmen’s wildness continued into the third. Susquehanna scored four times on one hit and four free passes against three LVC relievers to take a commanding 12-0 lead.

The Crusaders added single runs in the fourth and fifth before the Dutchmen scored five runs over the sixth and seventh to set the final tally.

Diebold (1-2) was charged with only two earned runs. He walked four and struck out one.

Sophomore catcher Richard Schwartz freshman third baseman Jason Scala had two hits apiece for Lebanon Valley in the nightcap while freshman first baseman Paul Covine drove in a pair of runs.

Senior rightfielder Ron Weaver reached on an infield single in the first game to pick up career hit No. 99.

Lebanon Valley hosts Delaware Valley on Tuesday for a non-conference game starting at 3:30 p.m.

[Photo - Freshman Ben Christopher, who threw three scoreless innings to earn a save in Lebanon Valley's 9-4 win over Susquehanna on Saturday]

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