Widener 9, Lebanon Valley 8

LVC Lineup
1. Edwards 2b, 2. Dohner cf, 3. Fundell 1b, 4. Dellinger dh, 5. Z. Smith ss, 6. Smarkanic 3b, 7. Harned rf, 8. Albright c, 9. Puglisi lf, SP Barthold

Widener Lineup
1. Elfreth 3b, 2. Rytelewski dh, 3. McDonough cf, 4. Lowery 2b, 5. Scherer lf, 6. Enos ss, 7. Everett rf, 8. Guarino 1b, 9. Shepherd c, SP Barth

How It Happened
It's safe to say this group has no quit in it. Trailing by as many as seven runs and facing a four-run deficit in the ninth inning, Lebanon Valley put together a valiant comeback effort that fell painstakingly short in the team's 9-8 loss at Widener in the 2015 Commonwealth Conference opener on Monday afternoon.

Tied at 1-1 in the early going, the Pride (5-4, 1-0 CC) posted five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and two more in the fifth, seemingly putting things out of reach for LVC (4-5, 0-1 CC).

The Flying Dutchmen took advantage of a Widener error in the sixth, however, scoring two runs on the play and Matthew Smarkanic's sac fly plated Devin Dellinger before the stanza was through, cutting the deficit to a more manageable 8-4.

Trailing by the same score and down to their last out, the Dutchmen used another Pride error, an RBI walk by Greg Orlando, and a clutch double down the left field line by Zach Smith to plate four runs and tie the game at 8-8.

But the defending conference champs were patient and executed their offense well in the bottom of the ninth as back-to-back leadoff walks doomed LVC. A Nicholas Enos sac bunt moved the runners to second and third and Matthew Guarino's walk-off RBI single to centerfield two batters later proved the difference.

On the Mound
- Jason Barthold got the start for Lebanon Valley and was solid early before Widener got to him in the fourth. He went 5.0 innings and allowed eight runs on 11 hits and a walk. He left with three strikeouts.
- Thomas Mattaini saw 2.2 innings of work in a relief effort and allowed no runs on two hits, a walk, and recorded a pair of strikeouts while Lee Webber (1-1) ultimately took the loss despite allowing just one hit.
- Robert Barth, the same pitcher who threw against LVC in last year's CC postseason tournament, got the start for the Pride and went 7.0 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, two walks, and striking out five.
- Widener's Nick Donovan (3-0) earned the win despite walking two and allowing a hit in facing just four batters.

At the Plate
- Colin Albright and Mike Puglisi each went 2-for-4 for the Dutchmen with Albright adding a double and scoring twice. Both players plated during the team's ninth inning rally.
- Zach Smith was 1-for-5 but drove-in a team-high two runs to tie the game at 8-8 in the top of the ninth. Fellow middle infielder Zac Edwards added a double. The pair, along with Greg Orlando and Matthew Smarkanic, accounted for LVC's five RBI.
- Widener's Matthew Guarino had himself a day at the dish, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, a game-high four RBI, and two runs scored.

Around the Diamond
- Long weather-related layoffs led to some sloppy play as the teams combined for five errors. Widener committed three and Lebanon Valley had two.
- Only two stolen bases in the game; one by LVC's Mike Puglisi and one by for the Pride's Matthew Guarino.
- Widener had five extra-base hits – all doubles.
- LVC's Phill Dohner, Brett Fundell, and Colin Albright scored twice each.

Stat of the Game
10 – the number of days between LVC's last game (March 5 against Wilkes) and their contest this afternoon. Chances are it will prove to be the longest layoff of the season.

Next Up
LVC takes part in the second outing of a five-game road stand at Ursinus on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.