BOX SCORE Grantham, Pa. (May 4, 2012) - Third-seeded Alvernia University (33-8) posted three runs in four straight innings en route to a convincing 12-1 win over #2 Lebanon Valley College (25-14) Friday afternoon in game two of the Commonwealth Conference Softball Championships hosted by top-seeded Messiah College. The Crusaders turn right around a play the host Falcons in the winner's bracket final Friday at 4:00 p.m.
Amanda Galanti (Red Bank, NJ/Marine Acad. of Sci./Tech.) got things started for Alvernia in the second inning with a one-out double.
Jacklyn Torres (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) followed with a single, and
Katie Manowski (Grasonville, Md./Kent Island) drilled a double to the fence to score both. A single from
Samantha Penk (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) plated Manoswski for the early 3-0 lead. Alvernia added three more in the third off of a reach-on-error, fielder's choice and three consecutive hits from Galanti, Torres and Manowski.
The Dutchmen got one back in their half of the third on a single, stolen base and an RBI-double. But Alvernia got back to business in the top of the fourth with three more runs for the 9-1 lead.
Shannon Grim (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) led-off the inning with a single,
Danielle Kitchen (Saylorsburg, Pa./Pleasant Valley) followed with another single, and both advanced two bases, Grim scoring, on a single from
Felicia McKenna (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown). A botched fielder's choice plated Kitchen, and a Dutchmen error allowed McKenna to score. Two hits, an error and a fielder's choice plated three more in the top of the fifth for the convincing 12-1, mercy ruled game.
Freshman
Brittanie Wolfe (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) went five full, scattering just five hits for her 19th win of the season.
Alvernia tagged Commonwealth Pitcher of the Year Kristin Palmerio for 17 hits through just five innings. The bottom three batters in the lineup went a combined 8-for-11 with four runs scored and nine batting seventh, Galanti was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBIs, Torres, In the eight spot, was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs, and the ninth batter, Manowski wes 3-for-3 with a run and three RBIs.
Alvernia 12, Lebanon Valley 1 (5 innings)
