Kean 9, Lebanon Valley 1 (Five Innings)

LVC Lineup
1. Bost cf, 2. Brown lf, 3. Johnson c, 4. Miller dp, 5. Valle 1b, 6. Robinson 3b, 7. Bauer 2b, 8. Stratton ss, 9. Ortiz-Marrero rf, Langdon p

Kean Lineup
1. Zengel lf, 2. Sabo 2b, 3. Krakower ss, 4. Knapp cf, 5. Berezny 3b, 6. Garbarino c, 7. Ratti dp, 8. Varriello 1b, 9. DeMatteo rf, Eichlin p

How It Happened
Two of the top softball programs in the region the past few years renewed an old rivalry when Lebanon Valley and Kean met up for a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday afternoon. The Cougars posted crooked numbers in the second and third innings en route to a 9-1 victory in the opener.

Kean's Katie Garbarino singled with two outs and the bases loaded to plate the game's first run in the top of the first before Cheyanne Brown threw out Sam Krakower at home plate trying to score from second base to end the inning and limit the damage.

The Cougars (14-11) did most of their damage in the top of the second, using four hits, including a pair of doubles, two hit-by-pitches, and an LVC error to post five runs before tacking on three more on four hits in the top of the third.

The Flying Dutchmen (13-10) got on the board in the top of the bottom of the third when Emily Johnson legged out a bloop double that fell between three Kean defenders in shallow center field, driving in Kim Ortiz-Marrero in the process.

LVC moved runners into scoring position in the bottom of the fifth following a Liz Bauer walk and a Brown bunt single but Kean starter Kiele Eichlin got a groundball to second base to end the opener after five innings of play.

Inside the Circle
- Holly Langdon suffered just her second loss of the spring for LVC. The lefty allowed eight earned runs on 12 hits and four walks.
- Kiele Eichlin picked up the victory for Kean. She surrendered just five hits and no earned runs to go along with four strikeouts.

At the Plate
- Emily Johnson picked up the 100th RBI of her career when she turned a bloop single to shallow center field into a double, scoring Kim Ortiz-Marrero on the play.
- Johnson, Sammy Bost, and Cheyanne Brown finished 1-for-3, while Alissa Robinson and Ortiz-Marrero each went 1-for-2.
- Emily Sabo hit two doubles for Kean and finished with a team-high three RBI.

Around the Diamond
- Cheyanne Brown gloved four outs in left field, while Liz Bauer added four putouts at second base. Alissa Robinson assisted on two more at third base.
- Brown added the game's only stolen base.
- Each team committed one error, leading to an unearned run for starting pitchers Holly Langdon and Kiele Eichlin.

Lebanon Valley 6, Kean 3

LVC Lineup
1. Bost cf, 2. Brown lf, 3. Miller ss, 4. Valle c, 5. Gross rf, 6. Robinson 3b, 7. Christensen 1b, 8. Bolinsky 2b, 9. Ortiz-Marrero dp, Mentzer p

Kean Lineup
1. Zengel lf, 2. Sabo 2b, 3. Krakower ss, 4. Knapp cf, 5. Ratti dh, 6. Worswick c, 7. Berezny 3b, 8. Varriello 1b, 9. DeMatteo rf, McMahon p

How It Happened
After a game one loss, Lebanon Valley bounced back with a 6-3 victory over Kean in game two of a doubleheader matchup between two of the most successful programs in the region on Thursday afternoon.

After falling behind 1-0 after three innings, the Flying Dutchmen (14-10) scored a pair of runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth frames to turn a pitchers' duel into a convincing offensive display, while LVC starter Christina Mentzer turned in her best outing of the spring inside the circle.

The Cougars (14-11) took advantage of two LVC errors to plate the game's first run in the top of the third but clutch at-bats from Alissa Robinson and Haley Christensen put the Dutchmen out in front for the first time. Robinson's RBI groundout drove in Jordyn Miller from third base before Christensen managed a two-out single that plated Elaine Gross.

Mentzer worked around a lead-off walk in the top of the fifth and her offense rewarded her in the bottom half. Sammy Bost legged out an infield single and stole second base to get things started. Cheyanne Brown drove her in with a single to center field before advancing to third on consecutive Kean errors. She scored when Miller hit a sac fly to center field on at-bat later.

LVC added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth when Kim Ortiz-Marrero lined a triple between the legs of Kean third baseman Amanda Berezny and into left field, scoring Robinson and Christensen to make it 6-1 heading into the seventh.

The Dutchmen opened the door for Kean by committing three errors in the top of the seventh and the Cougars pushed two runs across before Mentzer got Berezny to ground into a fielder's choice with the bases loaded to end the game, as Miller flipped a ground ball to Liz Bauer at second base to seal the game two win.

Inside the Circle
- Christina Mentzer was stout in picking up her first win of the season for LVC. She threw a complete game and surrendered eight hits but no earned runs to a team that pushed nine across in the opener. Mentzer added three strikeouts.
- Kean's Shannon McMahon suffered her fourth loss of the spring, allowing five earned runs on eight hits and two walks. She also struck out three batters.

At the Plate
- Sammy Bost and Elaine Gross led the way for LVC at the plate. Each player had two hits and scored a run.
- Kim Ortiz-Marrero's triple was the team's lone extra-base hit. She drove in a game-high two runs on the play.
- Amanda Berezny was the only Cougar to have a multiple-hit game with two. Dana Knapp's double was Kean's only extra-base hit.

Around the Diamond
- Sammy Bost reached base twice and promptly stole two bases. Kim Ortiz-Marrero also had a swiped bag for LVC.
- The teams struggled a bit defensively and combined to commit seven errors; five for the Dutchmen and a pair for Kean.
- The defensive play of the day came when Kelli Valle gloved Amanda Berezny's pop-up bunt in the fourth. With the LVC infield in its bunt formation, Bost sprinted in from center field to snag Valle's throw down to second, doubling up Caroline Ratti in the process.
- Bost gloved three fly balls in center field, shortstop Jordyn Miller assisted on four outs, and Kayla Bolinsky assisted on three of her own at second base.

Who's Next?
The Dutchmen get back to MAC Commonwealth play when they host Lycoming for doubleheader action on Saturday afternoon.