Box Score Softball
Commonwealth Conference Tournament
Game 5: Lebanon Valley 4, Alvernia 3

Tournament Site

ANNVILLE, Pa. - Steffani Secola's fifth-inning home run rallied LVC back from a 3-0 hole to beat Alvernia, 4-3, and advance to the Commonwealth Conference championship game.

The Dutchmen (31-5-1) will play Sunday at 1 p.m. Stevenson, who has won back all the way through the loser's bracket including a 4-3 nine-inning upset of Alvernia in Saturday's final game. LVC swept the regular-season doubleheader from the Mustangs by dual 1-0 scores. Lebanon Valley is bidding for their second CC title and first since 2008, when they also won it on their home field.

Sam Derr improved to 21-4 as she worked out of trouble in several innings, including the seventh, when she got some defensive help to get out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam. Alvernia's Deanna Dungee shut LVC down until unraveling in a four-run fifth, and Brittanie Wolfe did not allow a hit in 1.1 innings of relief.

Derr and Dungee dueled through three innings before the Crusaders (34-8) got their breakthrough in the fourth. Amanda Galanti was plunked and was advanced on Danielle Kitchen's ground and third on a wild pitch, then scored on Shannon Grim's poke up the middle.

Alvernia added two more in the fifth when Sam Penk doubled to center to score a pair of runs and take a 3-0 lead, but LVC responded in a big way in the bottom of the frame. Jorey Aumiller and Tessa Deardorff strung together base hits, and Derr sliced a single past first base to bring in the first run. That brought Secola up with two out and two on, and she rocketed the first pitch she saw to left center to put LVC up 4-3.

Derr had to work out of not one, but two bases-loaded jams in the seventh. After Aly Shilling led off with a double and Katie Manowski walked, Peto reached on a sacrifice attempt to load the bases. LVC got a gift when Penk lined to Allie Hartman's glove, and she doubled up Peto at first to get Alvernia down to their last out. Amanda Galanti walked to load the bases again, but Derr induced a Kitchen ground out to end the game.