Clermont, Fl. (Mar. 7, 2010) – The Alvernia Softball team opened their season with two wins at the NTC Games in Clermont, Florida. Freshman Jennifer Petrilla (Hamilton, NJ/Hamilton East) tossed a complete-game two-hitter as Alvernia (2-0) defeated Ursuline College (0-2) by a score of 8-0 in game one, while senior Michelle Jensen (Holland, NJ/Delaware Valley) allowed just one run through four innings to take game two over Simmons College (2-2) 9-1 in five innings.

In the first game of the day starter Petrilla shut out Ursuline through seven innings and posted 12 strikeouts, including three in the third inning. The Crusaders got on the board in the top of the fifth inning with two runs as both Miranda Peto (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville) and Samantha Penk (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) reached on base hits and scored on the same passed ball. Alvernia added another run in the sixth inning when Jacklyn Torres (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) reached on a one-out single and came around to score on a double from junior catcher Diane Lightner (Gaithersburg, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross).

The Crusaders got some insurance in the top of the seventh inning in the form of a five run outburst. Penk led off the inning with her first career homerun – a no-doubter over the left center field fence. After the shot from Penk, Rhiannon Sorrentino (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) laced a double to center field and the next four batters connected for singles with RBIs coming from Lisa Seidler (Feasterville, Pa./Archbishop Wood), Torres, Lightner and an RBI-double from freshman shortstop Katie Manowski (Grasonville, Md./Kent Island).

In game two it was Simmons who got on the board first with a run in the top of the first inning thanks to three walks and a single. The Crusaders answered promptly with a run of their own in the bottom of the first as Peto led off with a walk, stole second and came around to score on a single from Sorrentino. The Crusaders didn't stop there as they broke the tie in the second inning after Michelle Hermanns (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) reached on an error, freshman catcher Amanda Galanti (Red Bank, NJ/Marine Acad. Sci./Tech.) singled and Peto drilled a single up the middle that snuck by the center fielder allowing Peto to come all the way around to score for the 4-1 lead. The Crusaders added another two runs in the fourth on an RBI triple from Peto and infield RBI from Dina Chiappelli (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg).  Alvernia wrapped up the game in the fifth inning after two reach-on-errors, a two-RBI triple from Galanti and a game-ending RBI single from Manowski. 

Peto was 5-for-6 on the day with four RBIs, four runs scored and two stolen bases and Sorrentino was 5-for-7 with a double and a run scored. 

Alvernia will face John Carrol University tomorrow at 9:30am, followed by Northwestern College at 11:30am.