ANNVILLE, Pa. – Holly Grube hit a three-run home run and earned the win in the pitching circle, helping lead the top-seeded Lebanon Valley College Softball team to a 4-2 victory over fourth-seeded DeSales University in its first matchup of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Championship on Thursday, May 1, at the LVC Softball Park.
The Bulldogs (16-19) opened the scoring in the top of the first inning, taking an early 1-0 lead on an error. The Dutchmen (27-12) answered right back in the bottom half of the first, taking a 3-1 lead.
Megan Heard led off the frame with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch before
Lexi Smith lined a single to left field, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Grube then drove a three-run home run over the right-field fence, plating Heard and Smith.
In the pitching circle, Grube followed this by retiring DeSales in order in the top of the second. During the frame, the first-year recorded a groundout to Heard at shortstop, a groundout that the pitcher fielded down the first-base line and tagged out the batter, and a groundout to third baseman
Nicole Kratz. The Bulldogs then hit an RBI single to right field in the top of the third inning, narrowing the score to 3-2.
Grube pitched a 1-2-3 inning for Lebanon Valley in the top of the fourth, registering a groundout to Heard at shortstop, a flyout that right fielder
Mackenzie Willey tracked down in right-center, and a groundout that the pitcher fielded herself. DeSales had the bases loaded with no outs in the top of the fifth inning, but LVC got out of the frame unscathed. The Flying Dutchmen recorded the final two outs of the inning with a double play, where Heard fielded a grounder at shortstop and threw home to catcher
Maddy Gronback for the force-out, who fired the ball to first baseman
Julia Craig to throw out the batter in time.
Lebanon Valley crossed the plate again in the bottom half of the fifth, extending its lead to 4-2. Grube led off the inning with a bunt single back to the pitcher and Gronback hit a single to center field, while a flyout in foul territory down the right-field line allowed the runners to advance to second and third base. Craig followed this with an RBI groundout to second, knocking in Grube.
Abby Reed entered the game to pitch for the Dutchmen in the top of the sixth while facing runners on first and second base with one out, and the first-year got out of the inning with a strikeout swinging and a popout to Heard at shortstop. Reed then secured Lebanon Valley's 4-2 victory in the top of the seventh inning, notching the final out with a popout to Kratz at third base to strand a runner at first base.
Inside the Box Score
- Lebanon Valley outhit DeSales 9-8.
- Grube recorded a game-high three hits to tie a season-high, extending her hitting streak to eight games. The first-year hit her third home run of the season while tallying a game-high three RBIs to match a season-high. Grube also walked and had a game-high two runs scored to tie a season-high. In the pitching circle, the first-year improved her record to 12-6 by striking out a batter in 5.1 innings.
- Craig registered her 118th career RBI, tying Allie Hartman for the program record.
- Reed earned her first career save, striking out a batter without allowing a hit in 1.2 scoreless innings.
- Smith tied a season-high two hits and crossed the plate once.
- Pattillo logged two hits, extending her hitting streak to 10. The senior also had the only two stolen bases of the game, matching her most in a contest this season.
- Gronback and Mackison each tallied a base hit.
- Heard tied a game-high and career-high two walks while scoring a run. The junior was also hit by a pitch.
Up Next
Lebanon Valley will return to action at 11 a.m. tomorrow, Friday, May 2, when the program will take on third-seeded Misericordia University in game three of the MAC Freedom Championship at the LVC Softball Park. Misericordia defeated second-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology 8-4 in the first matchup of the tournament. The winner of Friday's contest between the Dutchmen and the Cougars will advance to the Championship round on Saturday, May 3, while the team that drops the matchup will play in an elimination game on Friday afternoon.
Stay Connected
Be sure to follow @lvcathletics on
Instagram,
X, and
Facebook for the most in-depth coverage of LVC Athletics.
