Box Score Softball
Commonwealth Conference Tournament
#17 Lebanon Valley College 1, Messiah College 0

READING, Pa. – An unearned run scratched across in the sixth was all the Lebanon Valley softball team needed to advance to its second consecutive CC Title game in a 1-0 victory over Messiah on Saturday afternoon in Reading.

Sam Derr was her usual self in the circle, tossing a complete-game, seven-hit shutout for her 21st win of the year, now holding an impressive 21-1 overall mark. The win gives LVC (31-4) a chance at its third conference title on Sunday at 1 p.m.; LVC will take on host Alvernia after the Crusaders eliminated Messiah later on Sunday. With the tournament's double-elimination format, if LVC were to lose the 1 p.m. game, a winner-take-all game would be played immediately following at 3 p.m.

After three and a half innings of little offense, Messiah provided the first offensive threat in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases with one out. With Katie Tankred at the plate, LVC's Jorey Aumiller made a great lunging stop on a grounder hit to third and threw out the runner at home for the second out. In the ensuing at-bat, Derr got Emily Quatrale to fly out to center to get out of the jam unscathed.

After a scoreless fifth, Sammy Bost led off the sixth, reaching on a throwing error off a bunt attempt. Bost advanced to second on a throwing error and to third on a ground out from Derr to the pitcher, Claressa Mees. The freshman came in for the only run of the game when Allie Hartman made contact on a grounder to the shortstop that had just the right amount of gas to allow the speedy Bost to cross the plate.

In the bottom half of the sixth, Messiah threatened to tie, putting runners on first and second with two outs and Quatrale to the plate. Derr was not about to give up the shutout late, striking her out looking to end the inning with the lead still intact.

In the seventh, Katie Deardorff led off with her second hit of the game, just one away from the all-time record with 169 hits in her career. She was stranded when Aumillier grounded into a double play to end the inning.

In the bottom half, Derr was as dominant as the first inning, sitting down all three Messiah hitters, two on strike outs to end it with LVC on top, 1-0.

Derr finished with six strikeouts on the day, allowing seven hits and one walk. Mees was also solid for the Falcons, going all seven innings and giving up just one unearned run with three strikeouts and two walks.

Deardorff led the Dutchmen offense with two hits in three at-bats, while Kelli Valle and Derr had the other two hits for the Valley.