ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley softball will look to win their fifth conference championship this weekend as the top seed in the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Championships to be played at the LVC Softball Park. Action gets underway on Thursday with the Dutchmen slated for the 2 p.m. game.
 
LVC topped the conference with a 14-1 record in conference play this season. Defending champion Messiah University is seeded second with a 12-4 mark in the regular season. York College of Pennsylvania earned the third seed with four wins over the last two days to finish 11-5. Stevenson University is the fourth seed with a 10-6 conference mark while Eastern University is fifth at 9-7.
 
ADMISSION
Adults - $6
Senior Citizens - $5
Students (valid ID) & Children - $3
Pre-school (under 6) with Adult – FREE
 
Schedule
Game 1 (May 4 at 10 a.m.): No. 5 Eastern (A) vs. No. 4 Stevenson (H)
Game 2 (May 4 at 12 p.m.): No. 3 York (A) vs. No. 2 Messiah (H)
Game 3 (May 4 at 2 p.m.): Winner G1 (A) vs. No. 1 Lebanon Valley (H)
Game 4 (May 4 at 4 p.m.): Loser G1 vs. Loser G2
Game 5 (May 5 at 11 a.m.): Winner G2 vs. Winner G3
Game 6 (May 5 at 1 p.m.): Loser G3 vs. Winner G4
Game 7 (May 5 at 3 p.m.): Winner G6 vs. Loser G5
Game 8 (May 6 at 1 p.m.): Winner G5 vs. Winner G7
Game 9 (May 6 at 3 p.m.): If Neccesary
 
The Dutchmen had one of the top offenses and the top pitching staff in the conference to record an impressive 30-7 record heading into the championship. LVC is hitting .334 this season which is second in the conference behind Stevenson. The pitching has been outstanding with a 1.79 ERA and eighth shutouts. Sam Burns leads the conference with a .444 batting average. She is among the conference leaders in multiple categories with 55 hits including 10 doubles and four triples, 36 runs scored, and 21 RBI as the leadoff hitter for the Dutchmen. Burns is a big threat on the baes with 24 steals on 26 attempts. Lexi Smith is second on the team with a .410 average on 41 hits including a double and a triple, 18 runs scored, and 11 RBI. She is also a threat on the bases with 19 steals on 21 attempts.
 
Nicole Kratz has worked her way into the starting lineup with a .369 average. She has 24 hits including five doubles and a team-leading four home runs while scoring nine runs and knocking in 13. Lindsey McCurdy leads the team with 29 RBI and has a .339 average. She is one hit away from 100 career hits and has 39 this season including nine doubles, four triples, and three home runs. Anna Marie Hockman is hitting .323 with 21 hits including seven doubles and four home runs. She has knocked in 16 runs and scored 14 times. Julia Craig is batting .318 with 35 hits, 15 runs scored, and 25 RBI. The senior has nine doubles and one home run.
 
Jordan Walter has been dominant in the pitching circle especially in the past couple of weeks and leads the team with a 16-2 record and a 1.02 ERA with 99 strikeouts. Erin Sinatra has been just as equally impressive with a 10-3 record and a 2.00 ERA with 90 strikeouts. Walter has thrown 12 complete games with two shutouts and two saves. Sinatra has nine complete games with four shutouts and one save.

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