Lebanon Valley 3, Alvernia 0

LVC Lineup
1. Deardorff lf, 2. Brown dp, 3. Bost cf, 4. Johnson c, 5. Miller ss, 6. Dutton 1b, 7. Gross rf, 8. Robinson 3b, 9. Aumiller 2b, Neff p

Alvernia Lineup
1. DePriest ss, 2. Malinish 2b, 3. Shilling 3b, 4. Grim 1b, 5. McKenna cf, 6. Miessau lf, 7. Turner c, 8. Kuhn rf, 9. Mancuso dp, Fouracre p

How It Happened
Lebanon Valley and Alvernia opened the 2015 Commonwealth Conference Softball Championship Tournament and the Flying Dutchmen emerged the tourney's first victor as they shut out the Crusaders 3-0 on Friday morning, while Tessa Deardorff became the program's first player to record 200 career hits.

Haley Neff was stout for LVC (13-21) inside the circle, scattering just four hits and allowing a lone walk in her eighth win of the season. Emily Johnson and Jordyn Miller were the catalysts for the Dutchmen offense in the bottom of the first inning as their back-to-back, two-out doubles scored Sammy Bost and Johnson and gave the no. 4 seed a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

Neff worked out of trouble after giving up a lead-off double in the fourth and the Dutchmen added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth when Elaine Gross' two-out single to left field allowed Johnson to plate from second base.

The Crusaders (18-16-1) threatened in the sixth when Taylor Malinish singled and advanced to third on an LVC error but Neff again answered the call and stranded her without allowing a run before propelling the Dutchmen towards a meeting with top-seeded Messiah with a 1-2-3 top of the seventh.

Inside the Circle
- Haley Neff (8-10) got the start and the shutout victory for Lebanon Valley; her seventh-straight. She allowed no runs on four hits and one walk and struck out five Crusaders. She also recorded three 1-2-3 innings.
- Taylor Fouracre (10-6) took the loss for Alvernia, surrendering three runs on eight hits and three walks. She recorded a pair of strikeouts as well.

At the Plate
- Emily Johnson was 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Jordyn Miller went 1-for-2 with a double, a walk, and an RBI.
- Sammy Bost and Elaine Gross each finished 1-for-3 with Bost scoring a run and Gross driving in one.
- Ali Shilling's double was Alvernia's only extra-base hit of the game.

Around the Diamond
- Tessa Deardorff's sixth-inning, infield single gave her the 200th hit of her career. Deardorff, the program's all-time hits leader, is the first Dutchman to reach the historic mark.
- Sammy Bost, Elaine Gross, and Jorey Aumiller recorded two putouts apiece.
- Neither team stole or attempted to steal a base.
- Each team had one fielding error.

Lebanon Valley 5, Messiah 3

LVC Lineup
1. Deardorff lf, 2. Bost cf, 3. Johnson c, 4. Miller ss, 5. Valle dp, 6. Dutton 1b, 7. Gross rf, 8. Robinson 3b, 9. Aumiller 2b, Neff p

Messiah Lineup
1. Fix dp, 2. Pompeo 3b, 3. Jones ss, 4. Notte c, 5. Allen cf, 6. Blantz rf, 7. Tankred 1b, 8. Bingaman lf, 9. Quatrale 2b, Mees p

How It Happened
Lebanon Valley used a combination of strong pitching, timely hitting, and top-notch defense to overcome an early deficit and knock off the Commonwealth Conference Softball Championship Tournament's top team in Messiah 5-3 on Friday afternoon.

Haley Neff and CC Pitcher of the Year Claressa Mees showed off their skills early with back-to-back 1-2-3 half innings in the first. After LVC (14-21) stranded a pair in scoring position in the top of the second, the Falcons (30-8) broke through in the bottom half when Amber Bingaman's two-out single drove in Courtney Allen.

The Flying Dutchmen bats finally came to life in the top of the fourth when Elaine Gross launched a triple to the corner in right field, driving in Emily Johnson and Kelli Valle, before an overthrow allowed her to push across and give Lebanon Valley a 3-1 lead.

Messiah responded when Katie Tankred tied the score with a two-out, two-run home run to left-center in the bottom of the frame but the Dutchmen had an answer of their own as one inning later, Johnson's double to left-center plated Sammy Bost from second and Jordyn Miller's single to left pushed Johnson across.

Neff retired the Falcons in order in the bottom of the fifth while Miller and third baseman Alissa Robinson flashed some infield leather to help their starter to another 1-2-3 bottom half in the sixth.

Left fielder Tessa Deardorff showed off her range when she made a great sliding catch of a Tankred fly ball to record the first out in the top of the seventh before she sealed the exhilarating win by squeezing a Brooke Pompeo fly out four batters later.

Inside the Circle
- Haley Neff (9-10) earned her second win of the day in impressive fashion, limiting Messiah's offense to just three runs on six hits and two walks. She retired the Falcons in order on four occasions.
- Commonwealth Conference Pitcher of the Year Claressa Mees lasted 4.2 innings for Messiah before Courtney Allen took over and finished out the game. Mees allowed five runs on four hits and two walks while Allen gave up two hits and a walk in addition to striking out three Dutchmen.

At the Plate
- Jordyn Miller went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI while Elaine Gross finished 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.
- The Dutchmen had four extra-base hits against Falcon pitching; Sammy Bost, Emily Johnson, and Miller doubled while Gross added a triple.
- Katie Tankred was 1-for-2 with a homer, a walk, two RBI, and a run scored for Messiah while Courtney Allen was 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored.

Around the Diamond
- Sammy Bost swiped the game's only stolen base.
- The Falcons committed two errors while LVC was clean defensively.
- Alissa Robinson had three putouts and four assists manning the hot corner and Tessa Deardorff recorded four putouts in left field.

Stats of the Day
200 – LVC's Tessa Deardorff is the first player in program history to record 200 career hits.
1 – Messiah's loss to Lebanon Valley was the Falcons' first defeat at the hands of Commonwealth Conference competition this season.

Next Up
LVC is back at it tomorrow morning when the team hosts Widener, the tournament's no. 2 seed, at 11 a.m.