Box Score
ANNVILLE, Pa. – Sophomore John Mentzer drove in the go-ahead runs with a two-run triple in the bottom of the seventh and junior Matt Sanders scattered 10 hits in a complete-game victory as Lebanon Valley kept its Commonwealth Conference playoff hopes alive, defeating Susquehanna University 5-3 on Senior Day Thursday afternoon at McGill Park.
With two conference games left on its schedule, Lebanon Valley (12-21, 9-10 CC) is now only one game behind Susquehanna (12-17-1, 10-9 CC) for the fourth and final Commonwealth Conference playoff spot. The Flying Dutchmen can clinch a conference playoff berth by sweeping its doubleheader at Susquehanna on Saturday coupled with one Juniata victory over Albright in a three-game series between the two teams on Friday and Saturday.
Playing at home for the final time, senior Matt Rich went out with a bang, posting his first collegiate four-hit game with a 4-for-4 day at the plate. It was the team’s first four-hit performance since freshman Bert Malloy was 4-for-5 in the team’s 8-6 win over Coe College in the Dutchmen’s second game of the year.
Trailing 3-1 after three and a half innings, the Dutchmen scored four unanswered runs off Susquehanna starter Eric Damm. It was 3-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh when sophomore Corey Lamoureux, who finished 3-for-4, beat out a high chopper to third with one out. Malloy followed up with a sharp single to left-center two batters before Mentzer crushed a 1-1 pitch deep into the left-center gap to set the final score.
The Crusaders jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, getting four straight one-out hits before Sanders induced a 5-3 inning-ending double play.
The Dutchmen were poised to strike in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with none out. But despite hitting the ball hard twice, Damm got out of the jam unscathed. Junior Richie Schwartz lined hard into a double play and Mentzer smoked a comebacker off the leg of Damm, who picked up the ball in time to get the out at first.
The runs would come, however, as the Dutchmen continued to hit well. Lebanon Valley made it 2-1 in the second, getting a leadoff single from junior Brad Brandt and a one-out sacrifice fly from senior Alex Morrison.
Susquehanna scored its final run on a pair of doubles in the fourth. Sanders (3-3) then settled in to blank the Crusaders while allowing just three hits over the final five frames. He needed only 91 pitches to record his first complete game of the season and the fourth of his career. Sanders finished with two walks and three strikeouts.
The Dutchmen pulled even at 3-3 with a two-run sixth. Schwartz reached on an error leading off before Mentzer walked. After Brandt moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt, junior Derek Helwig lined a ball down the rightfield line to score Schwartz on a sacrifice fly with Mentzer moving up to third on the play. Rich tied it up with a single through the left side, easily scoring Mentzer.
Jason Gaccione and Brian Ahearn had two hits apiece for Susquehanna, who had only one starter fail to hit safely.
Damm (4-2) gave up all five LVC runs on nine hits and three walks before leaving the game after seven innings. He did not strike a batter out but only yielded two earned runs.
Saturday's LVC-Susquehanna twinbill is set to start at 1 p.m.
[Photo - Senior Matt Rich, who was 4-for-4 on Senior Day in LVC's 5-3 win over Susquehanna on Thursday]
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