Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
READING, Pa. - Lebanon Valley swept a crucial road conference doubleheader at Albright Friday, outlasting the hosts 7-4 in 8 innings in the opener before crushing the Lions 11-2 in the nightcap.
The Dutchmen (16-14-1, 7-2 CC) are now on the verge of securing a berth in the Commonwealth Conference playoffs just a year after going 0-12 in league play. The Lions (11-14-1, 2-7 CC) dropped both ends of the Good Friday set after winning game one of the series yesterday, 8-3.
Bert Malloy led LVC at the plate with a huge day, knocking in six runs, including five in the first game, while going 4-for-8.
Dustin Deibert had three RBI in game two, and
Joe Soupik also drove in three over the two games.
LVC also benefited from strong starting pitching as
Jake Becker left with a lead before getting no decision in the first game, and
Nick Faria (3-2) threw a five-hit complete game in the second.
GAME ONE
In the opener, Albright's Rob Mancinelli hit a game-tying pinch-hit home run in the seventh to send the game to extra innings, but LVC scored three runs in the eighth keyed by Malloy's two-run single and Soupik's sacrifice fly.
Making his first appearance of the year in relief, southpaw
Caleb Fick (1-0) blew the save opportunity as Albright scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but he threw a perfect eighth inning after the Dutchmen scored three in the top of the frame to earn the win.
Albright's Jason Dunkelberger put the home side on top in the first with a single to left that scored Justin Danser, but Malloy put LVC on top in the second with one swing, drilling a home run to left to bring three runs across.
The Lions got a run back in the fourth as Joe Clark scored unearned when Shane Stein reached on an error, making it a 3-2 game. The Dutchmen then tacked on an insurance run in the sixth with
Grant Wiest's lead-off triple and
Derek Helwig's fielder's choice later in the inning to score the run.
Albright had other plans, however, and with one out in the seventh, pinch-hitter Walbert got on with a single. That set up Mancinelli to pinch-hit for Clark, and he drove a home run to left to send the game to extras at 4-4.
LVC didn't waste time in rallying in the eighth, with Wiest getting aboard with a lead-off single and advancing to second on an error.
Colt Zarilla's base hit moved Wiest to third, and Soupik plated him for the go-ahead run with a sac fly to right. Helwig looked to add more with a ground-rule double, and Malloy then scored both baserunners with his single to go up 7-4.
Fick then mowed down the order in the bottom of the eighth, striking out Matt Rehrig and inducing Stein and Danser into fly-outs to end the game.
Becker left with the lead and got no decision after throwing 4.1 strong innings, allowing six hits and two runs, one earned.
Brian Miller faced five batters in the fifth before Fick took over.
Tim Flannery (1-5) went seven and a third for Albright to take the loss; Tyler Storms threw the balance in relief.
Game Two
LVC scored 11 unanswered runs to overcome a 2-0 Albright lead in the first inning and win, 11-2, in the nightcap.
After Dunkelberger and Mancinelli strung together back-to-back RBIs in the first, LVC turned in a three-run second keyed by Deibert's two-run single. Malloy drove in his sixth run of the day in the fourth, and LVC pulled away later in the game with two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth.
The Dutchmen added two more runs in the seventh after an Albright error extended the frame.
While the offense was lending plenty of support, Faria was more than capable, allowing just the two runs as he didn't let a runner get in scoring position after the Lions stranded two men in the second inning.
NEXT UP: LVC will visit Susquehanna on Wednesday.
