Box Score Baseball
Lebanon Valley 9, Elizabethtown 0

ANNVILLE, Pa. - Caleb Fick twirled a four-hit complete-game shutout and got plenty of run support as Lebanon Valley picked up a much-needed 9-0 win in the series opener against Elizabethtown.

The Dutchmen (13-13, 4-6 Commonwealth) drilled 14 hits, including five in a five-run fifth inning that blew the game open.

Fick (3-1) was masterful, facing just two over the minimum with no walks while not allowing a baserunner to reach second. The southpaw worked just one three-ball count as the Blue Jays (15-9, 5-2 CC) managed to scatter four hits.

Colt Zarilla's sacrifice fly in the fourth got LVC on the board, and John Hildebrand singled in Aaron Mills to put LVC up 2-0. The fifth was when the damage came for the Dutchmen as they batted around in the inning. Ryan Schwartz was hit by a pitch to lead off, and back-to-back singles by Derek Brousseau and Jordan Witmer followed by consecutive walks from Mills and Rhody scored a pair of runs. Zarilla's single scored two before Jordan Higgins plated Rhody to finish the inning off.

LVC tacked on two more in the sixth thanks to Rhody's two-run double to bring in Schwartz and Witmer, and left the bases loaded in the seventh.

E-town never threatened offensively as Fick induced double plays in the second and sixth, then retired the final 11 batters he faced.

The two teams square off again tomorrow for a Good Friday doubleheader at E-town.