Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score
ANNVILLE, Pa. – Junior Jenn Roberts fired a no-hitter in the opener, and Lebanon Valley rallied from a 7-0 deficit in the nightcap as LVC swept Elizabethtown College in a Commonwealth Conference softball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the LVC Softball Park.
Several other players also had outstanding days for Lebanon Valley (17-3, 4-0 CC). Junior centerfielder Amy Batz went 7-for-8 over the twinbill and broke the school record for career hits with a sixth-inning single. She currently has 118 career hits, five more than previous record-holder Sam Rill '02.
In addition, sophomore second baseman Lauren Sanford finished 7-for-9 with four runs for the Valley while freshman shortstop Katie DeJulio junior third baseman Jenn Parks were 4-for-7 and 4-for-8, respectively.
Lebanon Valley out-hit Elizabethtown (5-11, 0-5 CC) 30-12 for the afternoon.
In the opener, Roberts limited the Blue Jays to a pair of baserunners over the first four innings. She hit a batter in the first and a hitter reached on an error in the fourth, but she retired her final 10 batters to record her second collegiate no-hitter. Roberts also threw a 6 1/3-inning no-no in a 1-0 loss at Rowan University two years ago.
Roberts is believed to be the first pitcher in LVC softball history to throw a seven-inning no-hitter. Denise Mastovich '86 and Dicksie Boehler '86 combined for a no-hitter against Lancaster Bible College in 1984, Amy Zellers '00 twirled a five-inning no-hitter against Franklin & Marshall College in 1998, and Kelly O'Toole tossed a five-inning no-hitter over Delaware Valley College last season.
Sanford, Batz, and Parks were all 3-for-4 in the opener. Sanford scored three runs while Batz and Parks each had a pair of RBIs.
LVC jumped on E-town starter Tanya Konek for five runs on eight hits over the first two innings, then scored twice on four hits and an error in the fourth.
Lebanon Valley had 13 hits in the opener.
Roberts (5-2) finished with eight strikeouts while Konek (1-5) walked one and struck out one.
Roberts also started the nightcap and blanked the Blue Jays over the first two innings before running into trouble in the third, when E-town scored seven times and sent 11 batters to the plate. The first six batters all reached base against Roberts, and she left the game with LVC trailing 4-0. O'Toole was then summoned out of the bullpen, and after getting a strikeout, E-town plated three more runs to complete its six-hit inning.
Lebanon Valley started to chip away against E-town starter Alex Lee in the third, when it pushed across a pair of runs. Freshman first baseman Crystal Nolen walked with the bases loaded before sophomore leftfielder drove in a run with a fielder's choice.
It was a 7-5 game after LVC managed three runs on three hits in the fourth. Parks grounded out to score a run before O'Toole helped herself with a two-run double. Batz pulled the Valley to within a run when she ripped a two-out double in the fifth.
More two-out lightning was in store in the sixth, when Lebanon Valley completed its comeback. With two down, DeJulio and Sanford smacked back-to-back RBI-singles to give LVC an 8-7 lead. O'Toole made it stand up, retiring the Blue Jays in order in the seventh.
O'Toole (5-0) blanked E-town over the final four innings to get the win in relief while remaining perfect on the season. In 4 2/3 innings, she was charged with one run on six hits and no walks. She struck out two.
Lebanon Valley clubbed a season-high 17 hits against Lee (4-6), who walked three and struck out three.
Sanford and Batz each had four hits in the nightcap, with Sanford going 4-for-5 and Batz hitting a perfect 4-for-4. O'Toole and DeJulio were both 3-for-4.
DeJulio has now hit safely in her last 10 games.
Lebanon Valley plays a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday, when it visits Delaware Valley College at 3 p.m.
[Photo - Junior Jenn Roberts]
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