Box Score Baseball
Alvernia 5, Lebanon Valley 3
Alvernia 2, Lebanon Valley 1

ANNVILLE, Pa. - Seventh-inning comebacks didn't materialize for the Dutchmen as they dropped a pair of tight games to Alvernia, 5-3 and 2-1, on Saturday at McGill Field.

The Dutchmen (9-18, 3-11 CC) left the bases loaded to end game one, then stranded the tying run on third in the second game as they couldn't find that one go-ahead hit off closer Kevin Becker-Menditt, who saved both outings.

Lebanon Valley held its sixth annual Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Day around the doubleheader, raising funds for the CFF to support their mission of finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. Young Justin Shopp threw out the first pitch on behalf of the CFF of Central Pennsylvania.

In game one, both teams did all of their scoring in a single inning, with LVC going up 3-0 in the third as Phil Dohner, Tim Filer, and Dylan Tamecki strung together consecutive RBI singles. In the fifth, Alvernia took advantage of the LVC's lone error  to score all five of their runs; after Ben Sawyer got on when Andrew DeCew bobbled a potential double-play ball, Alvernia put together three straight hits, including two-RBI knocks by Chris Ray and Brok Turner, to take the lead.

It spoiled a fine outing by Austin Hornberger (3-3), who had faced just two over the miniumum to that point, but the freshman regrouped and worked out of jams in the sixth and seventh to give the Dutchmen a chance. Phill Dohner singled off Becker-Menditt to start the seventh, and after Filer reached on an error and Tamecki singled to load the bases, the Alvernia closer struck out the side to preserve the win.

The Dutchmen struck quickly for their only run in game two, with Derek Brousseau coming around to score after his lead-off single thanks to a Brett Fundell base hit.

Alvernia would tie the game in the fourth with Richie Ricciardi's RBI double, and they took the lead in the sixth when a Lee Webber wild pitch brought in Matt Patterson from third. LVC again had to work out of a seventh-inning pickle to give themselves a chance, and Webber got out of a first-and-third situation; in the bottom of the frame, LVC left the tying run at third after Brousseau was hit by a pitch and worked around on a sacrifice by Dohner and Tim Filer's single.

Both starting pitchers were outstanding, with Alvernia's Mike Weinhold striking out 13 and Jimmie Miller (3-2) the hard-luck loser while scattering seven hits. Webber worked 1.2 innings in relief for LVC.

The Dutchmen will make the return trip to Alvernia tomorrow in a rescheduling of Friday's rain-out.