Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box
ANNVILLE, Pa. - Freshman Laura Snyder won two games and junior Katie DeJulio hit two home runs and a game-tying RBI single as Lebanon Valley College swept Messiah College, 4-0 and 4-3, in a key Commonwealth Conference doubleheader on Saturday.
The Dutchmen (18-7, 5-1 CC) received a walk-off RBI single from Kristen Uhas to win game two, capping a three-run inning after the Falcons (15-13, 3-3 CC) led 3-1 heading into the seventh.
The sweep assures Lebanon Valley of ending the weekend in at least a tie for first place in the conference after starting the day in a four-way logjam at the top of the standings with Messiah, Widener, and Elizabethtown.
Snyder was outstanding, carrying a no-hitter in game one into the seventh inning and having to settle for a one-hit game. She came on in relief of Val Malizzia in the second game, earning the win with 2.2 innings of hitless ball. For the day, Snyder pitched 9.2 innings of two-hit softball with 10 strikeouts and no walks.
Meanwhile, the Dutchmen banged out four homers for the afternoon. DeJulio powered two straight home runs in game one, and Jess Salisbury also went long in the first inning of that game. Caitlin Keller hit a long bomb to right center in game two.
Game one was dominated by Snyder, who retired 14 straight batters through the middle of the game after hitting Amy Bowie in the second. Becca Stackhouse broke up her no-hit bid to lead off the seventh, dropping a hit just over the glove of shortstop Meghan Donoghue, but Snyder quickly retired the next three batters, striking out Bowie to end the game.
Two of LVC's runs came in the third first as DeJulio and Salisbury jacked solo shots, and DeJulio's second homer in the third made it a 3-0 game. Chelsea Artz scored the final run in the fifth, advancing around on two straight wild pitches after reaching by being hit.
Jenna Batchelor took the loss for Messiah, allowing five hits in the effort.
Messiah starter Jessica Climenhaga held LVC scoreless through three in game two as the Falcons took the lead on Tori Hatt's RBI single to center in the second.
LVC tied the game on Keller's long home run to right center in the fourth, but Messiah retook the lead in the fifth with Bowie's two-run double down the left-field line. After Abby Bergakker singled to left, Malizzia came out and Snyder shut down the Falcons, inducing a fly-out and striking out Cara Testerman for the final out of the inning.
After Snyder worked through the sixth and seventh, the Dutchmen made themselves a chance in the bottom of the seventh, putting two on with no outs. Janey Kozlowski hit a deep sacrifice fly to advance Donoghue to third, and Lauren Sanford single through the hole to score Donogue on the next play. DeJulio then stepped up and roped a single to right, plating Artz for the tying run, and Uhas then dropped her walk-off single into right center to score Sanford and end the game.
LVC will hit the road for three straight dates, starting Thursday at Scranton.
