Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score
ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley College softball team concluded its regular season Commonwealth Conference schedule by sweeping Susquehanna University Saturday afternoon at a sunny LVC Softball Park.
Lebanon Valley (24-10, 10-4 CC) scored a controversial run in the bottom of the seventh to win the opener 1-0, then plated all four of its runs over the first three innings en route to a 4-2 victory in the nightcap.
With the wins, LVC finishes third in the conference standings, earning the third seed in the Commonwealth playoffs. Lebanon Valley will face second-seeded Albright College in the first round of the conference tournament at 1 p.m. on Friday at tournament host Susquehanna while the Crusaders (22-10, 8-6 CC) have earned the fourth seed and will take on top-seeded Moravian College.
Junior Jenn Roberts threw a five-hit shutout in the opener for Lebanon Valley, out-dueling Susquehanna starter Jess Nastelli, who also threw a five-hitter. Roberts is now one win shy of tying the LVC career record for pitching victories (33) held by Amy Zellers ’00.
In Game Two, senior Alisa Albers made the most of a Senior Day start, working a complete-game, six-hit victory.
Roberts helped herself at the plate and finished the afternoon 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles. She started LVC’s seventh-inning rally, skying a pop-up to the middle of the infield that was misjudged and dropped in for a hit. Freshman Crystal Nolen sacrificed her to second, and she moved to third on a groundout.
Susquehanna appeared to escape from the jam after sophomore Amy Weist rolled a grounder to second and was called out by the first base umpire. However, the play was appealed and the home plate ump ruled that the first baseman pulled her foot off the bag early, allowing the winning run to score.
Roberts (9-3), who fired her second consecutive shutout, struck out eight, walked one, and was the beneficiary of outstanding defense. With a runner on first, sophomore catcher Jess Salisbury made a beautiful sliding catch on a short foul pop-up down the third base line to end the fifth inning. Then with the go-ahead run on second with two out in the top of the seventh, leftfielder Weist ran down a ball hit well into foul territory, catching it in stride to get LVC out of the jam.
Nastelli (10-3), who walked none and struck out one, was just as impressive, allowing only one runner to reach second over the first six innings. She was aided by a great defensive play from rightfielder Elizabeth Laub when, with a runner on first and two out, Laub made a shoestring catch on a sinking liner to end the fifth inning.
Roberts finished 2-for-3 in the opener while leadoff hitter Megan McCurley was 2-for-4 for the Crusaders.
Lebanon Valley’s offense was in high gear early on in the nightcap, pounding eight of its 10 hits over the first three innings. Sophomore Lauren Sanford singled leading off the bottom of the first and scored two batters later when junior Amy Batz tripled to center. Then in the third, the Valley pushed across three runs after Susquehanna starter Kelly McHale retired the first two batters. Batz got on with a double before Parks blasted a towering homer to left for her second round-tripper of the season. After an error and a single, freshman Katie DeJulio drove in the LVC’s final run of the game with single.
Susquehanna notched its first run of the afternoon when No. 2 hitter Amy Licata reached on an error leading off the fourth and scored three batters later on an RBI-single from Bekah Bennett. No. 3 hitter Sarah Shaffer made it 4-2 when, leading off the sixth inning, she ripped a solo homer that just stayed inside the leftfield foul pole. But Albers settled in and retired the final six batters she faced.
Albers (8-2) walked none and struck out four while McHale (10-5) walked one and fanned three.
Batz and DeJulio each went 2-for-3 in Game Two for LVC while McCurley, Shaffer, and Bennett all had a pair of hits for the Crusaders.
Lebanon Valley is tentatively scheduled to host Ursinus College at 3:30 p.m. in a non-conference doubleheader and LVC’s regular season finale on Tuesday.
[Photo - Junior Jenn Parks, who hit a two-run homer in LVC's 4-2, Game Two win over Susquehanna on Saturday]
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