Elizabethtown 11, Lebanon Valley 5 (Game 1)

LVC Lineup
1. Bost cf, 2. McClain ss, 3. Windsor dh, 4. Toth c, 5. Gross lf, 6. Christensen 1b, 7. Robinson 3b, 8. Bolinsky 2b, 9. Hawk rf, Yanoscak p

E-Town Lineup
1. Rhodes cf, 2. Heckert rf, 3. Varrato ss, 4. Dark 1b, 5. Brown c, 6. Sergas p, 7. Elmer 2b, 8. Farrington 3b, 9. Kutteroff lf

How It Happened
A big sixth inning for Elizabethtown and Lebanon Valley's tendency to leave runners in scoring position was the difference in LVC's 11-5 season-opening loss to the Blue Jays in game one of doubleheader on Friday afternoon.

The Flying Dutchmen (0-1) loaded the bases in both the first and second innings thanks to a couple of walks and singles by Savannah Toth and Sammy Bost but failed to bring anyone across in either stanza.

E-Town (1-0) made the home team pay by scoring three runs in the top of the fourth. A Christina Dark single plated Mara Rhodes before Kelsey Brown launched a two-run homer over the fence in left-center field.

LVC got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when Haley Christensen drove in Anna Marie McClain from third base with a single up the middle but it proved too little as the Blue Jays used six hits, including a Rhodes' grand slam, to score eight runs and open up an 11-1 advantage after five and a half.

The Dutchmen took advantage of an Elizabethtown error in the bottom of the frame and scored four unearned runs. Alexa Windsor's single through the left side drove in Bost and Toth launched the team's first homer of the season, a three-run shot, over the fence in left-center field to cut the deficit to six.

It was a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh that sealed the season-opening victory for the Blue Jays.

Inside the Circle
- Tianna Yanoscak got the opening-day start for LVC and the freshman was solid in her collegiate debut, allowing just five hits and striking out three batters despite taking the loss.
- Alexa Windsor struggled a bit in her first appearance of the season, lasting just 0.1 innings and allowing six runs on four hits.
- Amber Sergas picked up the win for E-Town, throwing 4.2 innings and surrendering one earned run on three hits and five walks.
- Alyssa Wilkinson threw 2.1 innings for the Blue Jays and allowed four runs, all unearned, on three hits. She walked two and struck out a pair.

At the Plate
- Savannah Toth had a strong collegiate debut after missing last season due to injury. The clean-up hitter went 2-4 with a three-run homer and a run scored. She also recorded LVC's first hit of the year; a single in the first inning.
- Alexa Windsor was 1-3 at the dish with a walk, a run scored, and an RBI.
- Sammy Bost was 1-4 with a run scored, while Elaine Gross and Haley Christensen each recorded a base knock.
- Mara Rhodes was stout for the Blue Jays in the opener. The team's lead-off hitter finished 2-3 with a walk, a grand slam, and three runs scored.
- Kelsey Brown and Christina Dark also went 2-3 for Elizabethtown, with Brown hitting a two-run shot in the top of the fourth. Dark also drove in a pair of runs.

Around the Diamond
- The game was relatively clean defensively, with E-Town's Nicole Heckert committing the game's only error in the sixth inning.
- Anna Marie McClain was a force on the base paths, swiping two bags in the opener.
- Mara Rhodes and Heather Heckert each stole one base for the Blue Jays.
- The season-opener was one of LVC's longest games in recent memory, lasting nearly two and a half hours.

Lebanon Valley 11, Elizabethtown 1 (Game 2)

LVC Lineup
1. Bost cf, 2. McClain 2b, 3. Windsor dp, 4. Toth c, 5. Gross lf, 6. Christensen 1b, 7. Robinson 3b, 8. Whelski 2b, 9. Feaster rf, Abbot p

E-Town Lineup
1. Rhodes cf, 2. Heckert rf, 3. Varrato ss, 4. Dark 1b, 5. Brown c, 6. McKee p, 7. Heckert 3b, 8. Ritter 2b, 9. Kutteroff lf

How It Happened
Alexa Windsor put an exclamation point on Lebanon Valley's first win of 2017 when she took the first pitch offered from Elizabethtown's Ashley Hullihan and pelted it over the scoreboard in left field, clearing the bases and giving LVC an 11-1 victory over the Blue Jays in the nightcap of a season-opening doubleheader on Friday afternoon.

The Flying Dutchmen (1-1) entered the bottom of the fifth inning with a 2-1 lead before exploding for nine runs in a frame that saw Windsor's walk-off grand slam preceded by Elaine Gross' two-run bomb and back-to-back RBI doubles by Windsor and Toth early in the stanza.

An E-Town (1-1) error in the bottom of the first allowed Sammy Bost to score from third base and put LVC out in front for the first time this season. The Dutchmen tacked on another run in the third when Haley Christensen's two-out single through the left side drove in Rayanne Hawk from second base.

LVC starter Madeline Abbot was outstanding in her collegiate debut and cruised through the first four innings before allowing a solo home run to Kelsey Brown in the top of the fifth. The catcher's second homer of the day cut the deficit in half but proved inconsequential when the Dutchmen came to the plate in the bottom of the stanza.

Inside the Circle
- Madeline Abbot was about as good as you could ask for in her freshman debut, allowing just one run on two hits. She earned the win, struck out six Blue Jays on the day, and recorded three 1-2-3 innings.
- Sara McKee took the loss for Elizabethtown. She threw four innings and allowed four earned runs on seven hits. She also gave up four walks.
- Ashley Hullihan struggled in her relief appearance, lasting just 0.2 innings and surrendering six runs on six hits in the fifth and final frame.

At the Plate
- Alexa Windsor drove in a game-high five runs thanks to a grand slam and an RBI double, both of which came in the final inning. She also scored a pair of runs.
- Sammy Bost led the way at the dish by finishing 3-4 with two runs scored. Her three hits were a game-high.
- Anna Marie McClain was 2-3 from the two hole with a pair of runs scored, Haley Christensen also finished 2-3 with an RBI double, and Savannah Toth finished 1-1 with an RBI double and two walks.
- The top four hitters in LVC's lineup finished 7-10 in game two.
- Mara Rhodes' double was E-Town's only extra-base hit of the contest.

Around the Diamond
- The Blue Jays' Jess Kutteroff committed the game's only error in the bottom of the first inning.
- Anna Marie McClain stole her third bag of the day in the second outing and Rayanne Hawk swiped a base of her own.

Who's Next?
The Dutchmen travel to Clermont, Fla. for their annual spring break trip next week. LVC faces Ohio Northern in its first game in the Sunshine State on Monday afternoon, March 6.