ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley softball team used strong pitching and great defense to defeat 15th-ranked and top seeded University of Rochester twice on Saturday to win the Annville, Pa. Regional and advance to next weekend's Super Regionals. The Dutchmen won the first game 2-0 and then took the Championship game 5-3.
 
Game One
LVC (35-10) got all the offense they needed in the first inning with a pair of runs. Lex Smith got on base with a single to shortstop and then advanced to second on a ground ball to the right side. Nicole Kratz knocked her in with a two-out single down the line in right. Kylie Balthaser continued her strong play at the plate with a double to the fence in left center to score Kratz from first.
 
Erin Sinatra put together another great pitching performance with five innings of work. The junior allowed a single in the second and third inning but didn't allow a Yellowjacket runner to get pass second base. Rochester hit a one-out double in the fourth but Lindsey McCurdy ended the inning with a great double play as she threw out the runner at third with a great throw after catching a line drive. The great defense continued in the fifth as Balthaser threw out a Yellowjacket runner trying to stretch a single into a double on a ball down the line. McCurdy ended the inning with another great throw as Rochester tried to test her again on a single up the middle. McCurdy fielded the ball and threw a rocket to home plate to get the runner out trying to score from second.
 
Jordan Walter came into pitch in the sixth and faced the minimum six batters to force a winner-take-all final.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Sinatra won her 13th game of the year scattering six hits in five innings of work. She got 10 fly ball outs and two ground outs.
• Walter earned her third save of the year with four ground outs, including one double play, and a fly ball.
• Balthaser led the offense with two hits including a double and an RBI. In the field she had one putout and one assist.
• McCurdy had a great day in center with five putouts and two assists.
• Megan Heard was also busy at shortstop making four putouts and three assists.
• Smith had a hit and scored a run.

Game Two
The Dutchmen (36-10) rode the momentum of winning the first game to gaining a lead over Rochester (38-9) in the third inning with a pair of runs. Heard led off the inning with a double to left field for the Dutchmen's first hit of the game. Sam Burns drew a two-out walk and then Smith loaded the bases as she beat out a grounder to the shortstop. Julia Craig came up with the big hit and she doubled to the fence in left center to score Heard and Burns. Kratz came up and hit a ball up the middle that looked like it would score a pair of runs but it deflected off the pitcher's leg right to the second baseman who was able to make the throw to first in time to end the inning.
 
The Yellowjackets got on the board and took the lead with three runs in the fifth. Rochester loaded the bases with one out and then hit a two-RBI double to left center to tie things up. After a hit-by-pitch Savannah Nowak hit a RBI ground out to second giving Rochester their first lead of the day. LVC struck right back in the bottom of the inning as Anna Marie Hockman led off with a single up the middle. After a pitching change Danni Holmes had a big double down the leftfield line to put runners on second and third. The 'Jackets made another pitching change and Burns tied the game up with a single through the left side. Two batters later, Craig knocked in Holmes with a ground ball to second base. The Dutchmen gave Walter an insurance run in the sixth putting runners on the corners for Holmes. The junior came up big again with a two-out single up the middle.
 
Walter got two ground balls to short and ended the game with a grounder back to herself to make program history.
 
Inside the Box Score

• The Dutchmen won an NCAA Regional for the first time in six NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The 36 wins ties a program record for wins in a season.
• Walter earned her 19th win of the year with her 16th complete game. The junior struck out two and forced 14 ground outs.
• Craig had a huge game with three RBI and 12 putouts at first.
• Heard had two hits including a double and scored a run. The shortstop had another busy game in the field with four putouts and five assists.
• Burns had one hits, one RBI, a run scored, and stole a base. Her stolen base gives her 29 for the season which ties the program record held by three-time All-American Sammy Bost
• Holmes had two hits including a double with an RBI and a run scored. The junior was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Regional after a huge weekend where she hit an impressive .714 in three games.
• LVC became just the second team this year to defeat the 'Jackets twice. The other team to do so was top-ranked Salisbury in the season opener for Rochester.

2023 Annville, Pa. Regional All-Tournament Team
Most Outstanding Player - Danni Holmes - LVC
 
Taylor Brandt - Eastern Nazarene
Julia SanGiovanni - Eastern Connecticut State
Carley Stoker - Eastern Connecticut State
Ally Kim - Rochester
Molly Broccolo - Rochester
Savannah Nowak - Rochester
Kylie Balthaser - LVC
Jordan Walter - LVC
Erin Sinatra - LVC
 
Up Next
LVC will head south to Salisbury University where they will take on the top-ranked Sea Gulls in the Super Regionals next weekend. Game one at Sea Gull Stadium will be on Friday with games two and three scheduled for Saturday.

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