Game One – LVC 12, Misericordia 6

LVC Lineup
Towers (2B), Herring (CF), Kiessling (LF), Marcelli (1B), Holdredge (DH), Albright (C), Bertsch (3B), Harned (RF), DeClerico (SS), Williams (SP)

Misericordia Lineup
Weisensee (RF), Abate (CF), Jarema (3B), Holzapfel (1B), Guinta (C), Boylan (SS), Juri (DH), Hughes (LF), Kerwien (2B), Forde (SP)

How It Happened
FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Lebanon Valley's baseball team opened up its 2018 season by earning two victories on Sunday. The Dutchmen took down Misericordia, who was receiving votes in the latest NCAA Division III Baseball Poll, by a 12-6 margin before outlasting Massachusetts Maritime Academy in a thrilling 17-14 win.

Against the Cougars, LVC got on the board early when Josh Marcelli hit a sacrifice fly to plate Josh Herring. Misericordia got one back in the second to tie things up, then took a 4-1 lead with three runs in the top of the fourth. The Dutchmen responded in the bottom of the fourth, beginning with a Chris DeClerico double that platted Trevor Bertsch. After Jon Harned scored on a wild pitch, Bryan Towers reached on an error to score DeClerico, and Herring followed with a double to score Towers and put LVC up 5-4.

The Cougars tied things up again in the top of the fifth at 5-5, but a huge sixth inning was the difference for the Dutchmen. Harned started the scoring with a solo homer, and later in the game, with LVC ahead 8-6 in the seventh, DeClerico put the game out of reach when he launched the ball over the fence for the grand slam.

Inside the Numbers (Misericordia Game)
 - Harned went 4-for-4 with three runs scored.
 - DeClerico totaled five RBI and scored two runs to go along with a pair of hits.
 - Jake Williams got the start and went five innings and struck out three batters.
 - Ryan Showalter got the win after relieving Williams. Showalter went two innings and struck out a pair of batters.
 - Kyle Kingsbury made his debut on the mound for LVC and tossed two innings and allowed just a hit.
 
Game Two – LVC 17, Mass. Maritime Acad. 14

LVC Lineup
Towers (2B), Herring (CF), Kiessling (LF), Marcelli (1B), O'Shea (DH), Albright (C), Leri (3B), Harned (RF), DeClerico (SS), Ward (SP)

How It Happened
The Dutchmen survived 17-14 in a slugfest against Massachusetts Maritime Academy. The Buccaneers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second, only to see the Dutchmen score seven runs in the third to take a 7-5 lead. Marcelli had a two-RBI double, while DeClerico notched a two-run triple in the inning. In the bottom of the third, Maritime went ahead by two at 9-7 with a four-run frame, but LVC's offense continued to click on all cylinders and the Dutchmen scored seven runs in the seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings combined to go ahead 14-9.

After LVC went up 17-11 in the top of the eighth, the Buccaneers were able to score three more runs, but the Dutchmen eventually held on for the 17-14 win.

Inside the Numbers (Mass. Maritime Game)
 - Towers, Marty Kiessling, Harned, and DeClerico had three hits apiece.
 - Nick O'Shea and DeClerico recorded three RBI each.
 - Colin Albright picked up two hits and scored a pair of runs.
 - TJ Holdredge got the win on the mound after tossing three innings in relief and allowing no earned runs.
 - Daymond Zweizig made his LVC debut and tossed two innings, allowing one run and striking out a pair.

Who's Next?
LVC takes on Penn State Behrend in a single game on Monday at 1 p.m.

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