READING, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley softball team became the first Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth team to clinch a berth into the conference tournament with a sweep at Albright College on Saturday afternoon. The Dutchmen ended both games early by run rule with a 10-0 six inning victory in the opener and a8-0 five inning win in game two. 
 
Game One
LVC (26-5, 11-0 MAC Commonwealth) jumped on top early with four runs in the opening inning. Julia Craig knocked in the first run with a double to the gap in right center to score Sam Burns who tripled to lead off the game. Lindsey McCurdy then knocked in Craig with a single to center. Anna Marie Hockman hit a sacrifice fly to score McCurdy with the third run before Danni Holmes hit a single to left where Nicole Kratz scored on a fielding error by the Lion left fielder.
 
Albright held the Dutchmen off the scoreboard until the fourth when Burns led off the inning with another triple and scored on another RBI from McCurdy. The Dutchmen added two runs in the fifth taking advantage of a pair of errors. Danni Holmes reached on an error and came around to score two batters later on the second error of the inning. Brooke Edwards hit a pinch-hit single to left to plate Samantha Weaver with the second run. The next inning Alicia Gotts and Holmes hit doubles to plate a run before Weaver and Holmes scored on an error by the right fielder.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Erin Sinatra was fantastic in the circle with a season-high 12 strikeouts. She scattered four hits and didn't walk a batter. She is closing in on 200 career strikeouts with 189.
• Burns, McCurdy, and Holmes each had two hits.
• Burns scored two runs while McCurdy had a triple and two RBI.
• Both of Burn's hits were triples.
• Nine different Dutchmen recorded at least one hit.

Game Two
The Dutchmen (27-5, 12-0 MAC Commonwealth) picked right up where they left off in game two with a first inning run. Burns led off the game with a single to center. She then stole second and third before scoring on a throwing error down to third base. Lexi Smith led off the second with a single to left and then stole second. She scored two batters later. Megan Heard knocked in Smith with a double to left, stole third, and then scored on an RBI by Burns. Burns then came around to score the third run of the inning before Kratz doubled home McCurdy. LVC added a run in the third as Heard knocked in Smith with a single to left. The Dutchmen scored the final two runs of the game in the fifth as Kiersten White hit a pinch-hit double to left scoring Heard and Julia Forsythe.
 
Inside the Box Score

• The Dutchmen hit five doubles and stole seven bases.
• Smith and Heard each had three hits and scored twice.
• Burns had two hits, including a double, three stolen bases, and two runs scored.
• Kratz also had two hits and knocked in a run.
• Jordan Walter threw a one-hit shutout with eight strikeouts for her 13th win of the year.

Up Next
The Dutchmen will be back in action tomorrow with a road trip to Juniata College for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
 
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