Box Score
ANNVILLE, Pa. - #9 Messiah advanced in the winner's bracket of the 2010 Commonwealth Conference Championship Tournament Friday with two wins. The Falcons posted a 3-0 shutout over Widener in their first game of the day, while tallying a 2-1 victory against Lebanon Valley later.
The Falcons opened the game against LVC with Abi Buchler reaching first after being hit by a pitch. Jess Rhoads then hit a home run to left field for the early 2-0 lead.
Rhoads, Messiah's starting pitcher, held the Dutchmen scoreless until the fourth inning. With two outs in the inning, freshman #
Steffani Secola# hit a single to left and advanced to second on the throw. Pinch runner #
Marisa Krause# took over and scored from second on senior #
Allie Davies# 100th career hit down the right field line.
In the seventh, sophomore #
Chelsea Kehr# reached scoring position with two outs, but a pop up to second base ended the game.
Junior #
Laura Snyder# pitched the complete game, allowing just four hits and striking out six.
Messiah moves on to play the winner of game #5 on Saturday at 1 p.m., while Lebanon Valley will take on the winner of game #4 at 11 a.m.
Widener and Elizabethtown open play tomorrow in the fourth game of the tournament, beginning at 9 a.m.
In game one of the tournament...
Box Score
LVC advanced in the 2010 Commonwealth Conference Championship Tournament Friday, defeating Elizabethtown 3-1 in the opening game.
The Dutchmen (30-9) had RBI hits by seniors #
Kristen Uhas# and #
Allie Davies#, including Davies' 99th career hit, as they scored early and then held on to get past the Blue Jays (18-12-1), who will play in the losers' bracket Saturday at 9 a.m.
LVC will play #9 Messiah, a 3-0 victor over Widener in game two of the tournament, at 3 p.m.
Val Malizzia (15-4) earned the win, going into several deep counts but limiting the damage as she got out of jams in the first and third without surrendering an earned run.
Laura Snyder entered in the sixth to earn her third save of the year, allowing a single hit.
After E-town stranded runners on second and third in the first, the Dutchmen took advantage when Uhas hit a two-out single to plate #
Kristen Palmerio# and #
Meghan Donoghue#.
The Blue Jays got a run back in the third after Davies dropped a foul pop to allow Whitney Breneman to get on with a double, and Elly McCarthy scored her three batters later when Malizzia fumbled a bunt that should have ended the inning.
LVC's insurance run came in the sixth when #
Steph Hulme# scored off Davies' single to right center.
In game two of the tournament...
Box Score
#9 Messiah's Jess Rhoads and Tori Hatt combined to shutout Widener 3-0 in game two of the tournament.
Messiah advances to face Lebanon Valley in game three on Friday afternoon, while Widener falls into the losers' bracket of the double-elimination tournament, facing Elizabethtown at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Widener scattered four hits, while Rhoads helped herself with a pair of RBI hits. Abby Berkagger also drove in a run as part of a two-run third.
Hatt picked up the save after Rhoads (24-3) struck out nine in five innings of work. Kim Dougherty (10-6) allowed six hits and three runs while striking out four for Widener.
