ALLIANCE, Ohio – Nicole Kratz knocked in two runs while
Megan Heard and
Holly Grube had two hits each as the fourth-seeded Lebanon Valley softball team battled tough in a hard-fought 7-2 defeat at 12th-ranked University of Mount Union on a cold and damp Thursday in the NCAA Regionals at Rafeld-Rogers Field in Alliance.
Grube began the game with a rocket through the legs of the first baseman. Heard moved her over to second with a great sacrifice bunt to the third baseman. The top-seeded Purple Raiders (30-6) got out of the inning with a pair of strikeouts.
Miley Beachel got two of the first three hitters out in the bottom of the inning for the Dutchmen (26-16) before back-to-back two-out doubles put the Raiders up 2-0. Beachel got out of the inning with a fly out to
Katie Muller in right. Muller got on base with two outs in the top of the second after working the count full, with a single through the right side. Mount Union got a fly ball to left to close out the inning. Beachel shut the Raiders down in the bottom half with three quick outs on nine pitches.
Grube singled with one out in the third on another hard-hit ball through the left side and then advanced to second as the relay to the infield went wide. Heard hit a bloop single to left field and made her way to second base as Mount Union focused on keeping Grube at third. Once again, Kendyll Cahill was able to work out of the jam in the circle as she got the next two batters out. The Raiders led off the bottom of the inning with a double to right-center. A sacrifice bunt back to Beachel and a pop-up to second put a runner at third with two outs. Cahill doubled the lead with a big home run to right-center, easily clearing the fence. Beachel got a ground ball to Heard at shortstop to end the inning. The Dutchmen hit the ball hard in the top of the fourth but went down in order with a pair of line outs to short and center, and a grounder to third. Chrissy Ivers-Shultz replaced Beachel in the circle to begin the bottom of the inning and put the Raiders down in order on nine pitches as the ball never left the infield.
Karena Justice got on base with one out in the fifth inning as the pitcher threw away a grounder back to the circle. Grube hit a hard liner to left field, where the Raiders' left fielder made a great grab for the second out. Heard recorded her second hit to left to put runners on first and second. Cahill was able to get out of the inning with no more damage to keep the Dutchmen off the scoreboard. The Raiders hit back-to-back singles to lead off the bottom of the inning. They moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt back to Ivers. A single through the left side plated two runs to make it 6-0. The Raiders were able to put runners at second and third with two outs before Ivers got out of the jam with a fly out to Justice in center.
The Raiders made a pitching change to begin the next inning.
Bella Mackison reached first on a muffed catch by the first baseman on a slow roller back to the pitcher. Beachel walked to put two runners on. Kratz got the Dutchmen on the scoreboard with a double to left center as Mackison and Beachel scored to cut the deficit to 6-2. The Raiders brought Cahill back in, and she got the next three batters out to get out of the jam. Mount Union had an infield single on a slow roller back to Ivers to begin the bottom half of the inning. They worked the runner over to third before a two-out triple plated the run. Ivers got the next hitter to fly out to Beachel in left. Grube began the seventh with a single through the left side. The Dutchmen could not advance her any further on the base paths as Cahill got the next three batters out to end the game.
Inside the Box
- Grube had her 23rd multi-hit game of the year with a pair of singles. The sophomore increased her program-record hit total to 74 on the season and reached base for the 28th consecutive game. The second baseman made six putouts in the field.
- Heard also had a pair of singles to record her 15th multi-hit game of the year. She also had a sacrifice bunt in the first inning. The shortstop added two putouts and two assists in the field.
- Kratz knocked in both runs with a double in the sixth inning. The senior has the longest current hitting streak on the team at four games and recorded her fifth multi-RBI game of the season.
- Muller had one hit and made two putouts in right field.
- Beachel drew the team's only walk of the game and scored a run. She made two putouts and two assists in the field. In the circle, she struck out one and allowed four runs on five hits in three innings of work.
- Ivers pitched the final three innings and allowed three runs on five hits and one walk.
- LVC is in familiar territory, as this is the third time in the last four years that they have dropped the opening game of the Regional Tournament to a nationally ranked opponent.
Up Next
The Dutchmen will play in the first elimination game tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 p.m. against a familiar opponent in Penn College. The third-seeded Wildcats dropped a 3-2 decision to second-seeded Christopher Newport University in the other game of the day on Thursday. LVC defeated Penn 5-1 last year in the elimination game at the Cleveland Regional. The winner of tomorrow's elimination will face the loser of the winner's bracket game between Mount Union and CNU at 4 p.m. in another elimination game.
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