ANNVILLE, Pa. – Sam Burns had four runs batted in for the Lebanon Valley softball team during a doubleheader split with Juniata College on Tuesday afternoon at the LVC Softball Park. The Dutchmen took game one 6-1 before the Eagles rallied with three runs in the seventh inning to win game two 7-5.
 
Game One
Juniata got off to a hot start with a double and single to put runners on the corners with no outs in the top of the first. Jordan Walter got out of the jam as the Dutchmen caught the runner at first trying to steal, got a ground ball right back to Walter, and then a pop up to third. Burns led off the bottom of the inning with a hit-by-pitch. She stole second and then was sacrificed over to third. The Dutchmen were unable to drive her in as the Eagles got a ground ball to first base where Julia Craig was ruled to have obstructed on the throw home and then a pop up in the infield.
 
The Dutchmen got on the board in the second inning with two runs. Lindsey Mccurdy reached on an error to begin the inning. Megan Heard and Danni Holmes walked to load the bases with two outs. Burns came up with a big single up the middle to plate the first two runs of the game. LVC added two more runs in the third on a bases-loaded single by Erin Pattillo. Craig led off the inning with a single up the middle. Nicole Kratz drew a walk and then McCurdy loaded the bases with a single to left. Two batters later Pattillo knocked a one-out hit up the middle to give the Dutchmen a 4-0 lead.
 
Burns led off the fourth with a walk and then stole second. Emily Mitchell drew a pinch hit walk and then Nikki Sellers had a pinch hit single to load the bases. McCurdy knocked in Burns with a sacrifice fly to left and then Heard singles down the line in left to score Mitchell with the sixth run of the game. Juniata got a run back in the fifth on a two-out single to left that scored a run from second. Erin Sinatra shut down the Eagles the rest of the way to earn a three-inning save.
 
Inside the Box

• Burns reached base in all four of her plate appearances. She had two singles, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch. The left fielder drove in two runs, scored once, and stole two bases.
• Pattillo knocked in two runs and made two putouts with two assists at third base.
• The Dutchmen had three pinch hit singles as Mitchell, Sellers, and Mackenzie Willey all recorded hits off the bench.
• Walter improved to 11-4 in the circle with one strikeout in four innings of work. The senior didn't allow a run on five hits and no walks.
• Sinatra struck out three in three innings to earn her first save of the year.
• McCurdy and Heard had a hit, a run scored, and a run batted in each.
• Heard made five assists and had two putouts at shortstop.

Game Two
Juniata jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning with three hits to start the game. A pair of singles and a double to left field put two runs on the scoreboard. A single up the middle put runners on the corners with one out before the Eagles tied a double steal and LVC got the runner attempting to steal second out but the throw home was just late. Burns led off the bottom of the inning with a walk and then stole second. Smith beat out a single to shortstop and then stole second. Juniata got out of the inning with a grounder to short, a short fly ball down the right field line and then another ground ball to shortstop.
 
Sellers and Maddy Gronback started the second with back-to-back singles up the middle. Burns then hit a two-out triple to right center to score two runs and cut the lead to 3-2. Sinatra struck out four in relief during the second and third innings to keep the Eagles off board. McCurdy tied the game up in the third as she hit a triple to right center and scored as the Juniata shortstop misplayed the relay into the infield. Heard was hit by a pitch and then stole second. She advanced to third as the throw went into center field and then scored on as Sellers got a bloop single down the right field line.
 
Neither team scored again until the fifth when Juniata tied the game up on a walk and double. LVC retook the lead in the sixth as they took advantage of an error to start the inning. Gronback hit a grounder to second and the throw to first went into the dugout allowing her to advance to second. Erin Field moved the runner over with a sacrifice bunt before Kratz hit a deep fly to the warning track in right to plate the go-ahead run. Juniata rallied in the seventh with three runs on three hits to take the lead. After a strikeout to begin the inning, the Eagles got two singles and a double to tie the game. Two walks plated the go-ahead run, and a sacrifice fly scored the final run of the inning. Lexi Smith started the bottom of the inning with a single up the middle. The Dutchmen appeared to have runners on second and third with no outs as Craig hit a ball down the line in left that went off the glove of the left fielder, but the umpire ruled the ball foul. Juniata got a flyball to center and two ground outs to end the game.
 
Inside the Box

• Burns knocked in a pair of runs with a triple, stole a base, and drew a walk.
• McCurdy hit a triple and scored a run.
• Sellers had two hits to give her three on the day and knocked in a run.
• Smith had two hits and stole a base.
• Heard stole two bases and scored a run.
• Sinatra struck out nine in 6.1 innings of relief.

Up Next
The Dutchmen will play the final road conference games of the year on Saturday with a trip to Doylestown where they will face Delaware Valley University. LVC just needs one win over the Aggies to be the first team to clinch a spot in the MAC Freedom Championships. Game one is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.

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