Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – After playing 16 straight non-conference games to start the season, the Lebanon Valley College softball team snapped into Commonwealth Conference play with a sweep at Susquehanna Saturday afternoon at Sassafras Field.
Lebanon Valley (14-4, 2-0 CC) won 4-0 in the opener behind a seven-hit shutout from sophomore Jenn Roberts, then held on for a 4-3 win in the nightcap on the strength of an 11-hit complete game from sophomore Kelly O'Toole.
Susquehanna fell to 10-8 and 2-6 in conference play.
With LVC's win in the first game, seventh-year Head Coach Stacey Hollinger picked up her 100th career win at Lebanon Valley.
In an odd occurrence, neither Roberts nor O'Toole recorded a walk or a strikeout.
Roberts and Susquehanna starter Shannon Nagy were equally impressive in the early going, as each hurler threw five shutout innings to start the game. Lebanon Valley backed Roberts with some fine fielding, and senior centerfielder Melissa Ulrich threw out a runner at home in the first.
The Crusaders also threatened in the second, when they put runners on second and third with no outs following a single and double. But Roberts would not allow the ball to leave the infield over the rest of the frame, getting two popups and a groundout.
Lebanon Valley finally broke through in the sixth, when it scored three times on three hits and an error. Junior rightfielder Lisa DiCristofaro walked and sophomore leftfielder Amy Batz doubled before sophomore third baseman Jenn Parks delivered a one-out, two-run single. Senior centerfielder Melissa Ulrich followed up the first of her two triples on the day to score Parks.
After adding another run on a hit and an error in the seventh, LVC turned in another strong defensive play in the seventh. With one out and a runner on second, DiCristofaro recorded an outfield assist at first base to rob a batter of a single.
Roberts (8-0) kept her perfect record intact and has now won nine games in a row dating back to last season.
Nagy (2-2) finished with five strikeouts while allowing three runs on six hits and one walk over 5 1/3 innings.
Lebanon Valley never trailed in the second game after a costly error led to three unearned runs against Susquehanna starter Jess Nastelli. Ulrich led off with a triple and scored when junior catcher Mandi Nace reached on a two-out error by the third baseman. Following a double from senior second baseman Gina Battistelli DiCristofaro smacked a two-run double to make it 3-0.
The Crusaders came back with two runs on three hits and an error against O'Toole in the bottom of the frame to cut the gap to 3-2.
In the fifth, DiCristofaro scored on a wild pitch for what held up as the game-winning run in an inning prolonged by another error.
Susquehanna cut it to 4-3 with one run on three singles in the fifth, but they stranded runners on first and second to end the inning. O'Toole also worked out of a jam in the sixth, when she left runners on first and second again.
Yet another heads-up defensive play gave LVC the win in the seventh. After a one-out double and a single put Crusaders on first and third, Battistelli snared a popup and fired the ball to first for a game-ending double play.
O'Toole (4-1) was charged with just one earned run while Nastelli (4-1) suffered her first loss of the year but has now thrown 33 1/3 innings this season without allowing an earned run.
Nace, Battistelli, Ulrich, and Batz all ripped two hits apiece over the doubleheader for LVC while Parks and DiCristofaro each had two RBIs.
Lebanon Valley returns to Commonwealth Conference action on Sunday, when it hosts Juniata at 1 p.m. in a rescheduled doubleheader.
[Photo - Senior Melissa Ulrich, who hit two triples in Lebanon Valley's doubleheader sweep of Susquehanna on Saturday]
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