Game 1 Box Score  Game 2 Box Score

ANNVILLE, Pa. – Senior Jenn Roberts spun a four-hit shutout in the opener while notching her 400th career strikeout as the Lebanon Valley College softball team split a Commonwealth Conference doubleheader with Messiah College Thursday afternoon at the LVC Softball Park.

Lebanon Valley (11-7, 2-2 CC) captured the first game 1-0 before Messiah (19-10, 4-4 CC) claimed a 3-1 decision in the nightcap.

Roberts received all the offense she would need in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore Lauren Sanford reached on a dropped fly ball to centerfield leading off, and senior Lisa DiCristofaro sacrificed her to second. DiCristofaro was initially called safe at first, and while the call was being argued, Sanford moved up to third. After the two umpires met, DiCristofaro was called out.

Senior Amy Batz followed up with a sacrifice fly to left to score Sanford without a play at the plate.

Roberts retired the first seven batters of the game before Nicole Adams singled following an 11-pitch at-bat. However, she was left standing at first base. The Falcons failed to reach third base for the game despite having at least one runner reach base from the third through the sixth.

In the fifth, Roberts turned in an outstanding play to end the inning, stabbing a line drive and firing to first to catch a runner going back for a double play.

Messiah threatened in the seventh, when it had a runner on second with one out. Cleanup hitter Amy Bowie singled up the middle leading off and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. But Roberts struck out the last two batters of the game to post her first shutout of the season and the 20th of her career.

Roberts (5-3) finished with seven strikeouts, the third of which was the 400th of her career. She follows Amy Zellers ’00, who had 424 strikeouts from 1997-2000, as only the second pitcher in program history to reach the milestone.

Megan Rice threw an outstanding game in a losing effort for Messiah. Rice (8-3) yielded only two hits in six innings and retired 12 of the final 13 batters she faced.

The Falcons struck early in the second game, scoring all three of their runs over the first two innings. Messiah pushed across an unearned run on two hits and one error in the first, then added two runs on three hits in the second, as No. 2 hitter Lindsey Hall provided the big blow with a two-out, two-run single.

Lebanon Valley scored its only run in the third inning, when DiCristofaro singled and scored from second three batters later when Roberts drilled a single down the rightfield line.

After giving up four hits over the first three innings, Messiah starter Rebecca Croft settled in and allowed only two hits the rest of the way. After a leadoff single in the sixth, Croft (6-3) retired the final six batters of the game. She struck out two while throwing a six-hit complete game.

Senior Kelly O’Toole (4-3) allowed all three runs for LVC, throwing four innings and giving up eight hits while striking out one. Roberts came on in relief to throw the final three frames, giving up two hits while fanning two.

DiCristofaro, Batz and Roberts were each 2-for-3 at the plate in Game Two.

Lebanon Valley returns to Commonwealth Conference action on Saturday, when it visits Widener University at 1 p.m.

[Photo - Senior Jenn Roberts]

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