BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 Reading, Pa. (Mar. 27, 2012) - Freshman Shannon Grim (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) hit a two-RBI double in the bottom on the seventh inning in game two to propel Alvernia (14-2) to a come-from-behind 10-9 victory over Delaware Valley (6-7) this afternoon in non-conference action at Angelica Park.  The Crusaders took game one 10-5 behind a solid relief performance in the circle from Brittanie Wolfe (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area).

Grim's game-winning double capped an almost impossible comeback by the Crusaders as they found themselves down 0-8 in the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs and the eight-run rule looming.  A two-out single through the left side from Diane Lightner (Gaithersburg, Md./Acad. of the Holy Cross) kept hope alive as Samantha Penk (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) scored after leading off the inning with a reach-on-error.  Alvernia added four more runs, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Katie Manowski (Grasonville, Md./Kent Island), all with two outs after Lightner's single to bring the score to 8-5 in favor of the Aggies.

The Aggies plated a run in the top of the sixth to take the 9-5 lead and make Alvernia's comeback a little more difficult.  That did not stop the Crusaders as they again staged a two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth.  After a ground out and a fly out, second relief pitcher Wolfe drilled a double to the fence and another single from Lightner put runners on the corners.  An Aggie error brought in Wolfe and two more scored on a shot to the fence from Felicia McKenna (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) to bring Alvernia within one, with the score now 9-8.

The Aggies went in order in the top of the seventh as Wolfe finished out her extremely solid day in the circle.  Desperate for a baserunner, Manowski battled for a hard single down the right field line, before a fly out gave Alvernia one out with Manowski at first.  A well-earned walk from Penk put the go-ahead run on and set the stage for Grim who drove the ball down the left-field line to score Manowski and Penk all the way from first.

In game one both teams put up a run in the first inning and Alvernia added two in the second for the 3-1 lead before the Aggies rallied back for two in the third to tie the game at three.  The Crusaders went to work and pushed across two in the third off an RBI-single from Alicia Buchman (Alburtis, Pa./Emmaus) and three more in the fourth with RBI-hits from Buchman and Danielle Kitchen (Saylorsburg, Pa./Pleasant Valley) to take the 8-3 lead.  Alvernia added more insurance in the sixth with RBIs from Grim and Buchman who ripped a double to the fence.  Delaware Valley rallied for two in the seventh but Wolfe, in relief shut them down.

Wolfe earned the win in both games to improve to 7-0 and was 1-for-3 with a run scored.  Manowski was 4-for-6 with two RBIs and two runs scored, Kitchen was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, Grim and McKenna were both 3-for-7 with three RBIs, and Buchman led the squad with four RBIs on the day.

Alvernia will host Arcadia University on Thursday as they open Commonwealth Conference play with a doubleheader beginning at 3:00pm.

Alvernia 10, Delaware Valley 5
Alvernia 10, Delaware Valley 9