Box Score
Photo Gallery
GRANTHAM, Pa. - Lauren Seneca hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to send Messiah into Saturday's Commonwealth Conference championship game, ruining a dramatic seventh-inning comeback by Lebanon Valley with their 6-5 win.
The Dutchmen (27-13) had scored four runs in the seventh to erase a 5-1 deficit and send the game to extra innings. They will now face the winner of Saturday morning's Arcadia/Widener game at 11 a.m. tomorrow. LVC will have to win three games on Saturday to defend their CC crown; no team in the nine-year history of the tournament has done that, although LVC has twice fought back to force a seventh game.
Messiah pitcher and freshman phenom Jess Rhoads had to leave the game with two outs in the seventh after being struck on her pitching hand by a sharp line drive from
Chelsea Kehr. Rhoads, who took no decision, had struck out 12 up to that point.
Megan Rice (13-1) relieved her and allowed the tying run, but eventually got the win thanks to Seneca's hit.
Laura Snyder (10-5) took the loss for LVC, striking out five.
The Falcons went up 2-0 in the fourth when Rhoads' RBI double and a sacrifice fly by Abby Bergakker, but LVC cut the lead in half when
Chelsea Artz came around to score on a throwing error in the sixth.
However, Messiah's Amy Bowie bombed a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to go on top 5-1 and place the momentum firmly on her team's side.
In a rally reminiscent of their comeback in the 2008 CC championship game, LVC worked through a crazy seventh to tie the game. After
Allie Davies led off with a double,
Kristen Palmerio smacked a one-out single to score a run, and two batters later, she moved over when Kehr reached after lining a hit to Rhoads' right that the pitcher tried to grab.
After the pitching change, Artz stepped in and ripped a two-run double to the fence, bringing in both runs and making it a 5-4 game.
Kerri Datres then singled, but Artz collided with Seneca before rounding third and the officiating crew ruled it defensive interference, awarding Artz home and the tying run.
Neither team threatened in the eighth, and Bergakker led off the ninth with a walk, moved over on a sac bunt, and scored when Seneca hit a ball to deep center over Kehr's head.
