ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Saturday, March 29, 2008

Blue Jays Split Commonwealth Doubleheader at Messiah

Click here for the game one boxscore
Click here for the game two boxscore

GRANTHAM, Pa. --- Senior Alex Lee (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus) became Elizabethtown College's career leader in strikeouts and innings pitched as the Blue Jays split a Commonwealth Conference softball doubleheader at Messiah College on Saturday, dropping game one 7-5 before coming back for a 3-1 win in game two.

Lee pitched complete games in both ends of the doubleheader, striking out six in each game to increase her career total to 415, breaking the mark of 404 set by Michelle Morris from 2001 to 2004. She also tossed 13 innings on the afternoon to boost her career mark to 515 1/3 innings, passing Morris' previous standard of 502 2/3 innings.

In game one, the Falcons scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to erase a 5-2 deficit, as Nicole Adams went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in and Rebekkah Funk finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored.

Junior Amanda Gordon (Vernon, NJ/Vernon Township) and junior Holly Martin (Elizabethtown, PA/Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, NY) each went 2-for-4 in game one for the Blue Jays.

Elizabethtown took a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to three Messiah errors, one of which pushed home the first Blue Jay run. Senior Abbie Merrifield (York, PA/Dallastown) added a sacrifice fly to give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead.

Messiah picked up a run in the bottom of the first on a groundout, but the Blue Jays added three runs in the third on a solo homer by Martin and a two-run double by sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro).

The Falcons pulled within 5-2 in the third on an RBI single by Adams, and went ahead for good in the fifth on a two-run double by Adams, a two-run single by Rebecca Stackhouse and an RBI single by Jessica Climenhaga to take a 7-5 lead.

Climenhaga earned the win after allowing one hit over 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief for Messiah, while Lee took the loss after yielding 12 hits and seven earned runs while striking out six and walking two.

In game two, the Blue Jays (6-9 overall, 1-1 Commonwealth) were outhit 11-5 by the Falcons, but took a 3-0 lead after 1 1/2 innings and rode the arm of Lee (5-5) to the win, as she struck out six and left 11 Falcons stranded on the bases.

The Blue Jays took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single by first-year student Kelsea Corrado (La Plata, MD/La Plata), and extended their lead to 3-0 in the third on a two-run home run by Gordon.

Messiah (10-11 overall, 1-1 Commonwealth) scored its lone run in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Megan Rice, and put its first two hitters on base in the fifth and seventh innings but could not score the tying run.

Funk finished 3-for-4 in game two for Messiah, while Bowie and Climenhaga each went 2-for-3. Corinn Eby (2-4) took the loss for the Falcons after allowing four hits and three runs in three-plus innings of work.

Game one
Messiah College 7, Elizabethtown Coll. 5
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Elizabethtown Coll.. 203 000 0 - 5 9 0 (5-9, 0-1)
Messiah College..... 101 050 x - 7 12 6 (10-10, 1-0)
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Alex Lee and Abbie Merrifield; Jenna Batchelor, Jessica Climenhaga (3) and Amy Bowie. WP-Climenhaga (3-3). LP-Lee (4-5). SO-BB: Lee 6-2; Batchelor 2-0, Climenhaga 2-0. HR-Holly Martin (E).

Game two
Elizabethtown Coll. 3, Messiah College 1
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Elizabethtown Coll.. 120 000 0 - 3 5 1 (6-9, 1-1)
Messiah College..... 000 100 0 - 1 11 1 (10-11, 1-1)
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Alex Lee and Abbie Merrifield; Corinn Eby, Jessica Climenhaga (4) and Amy Bowie. WP-Lee (5-5). LP-Eby (2-4). SO-BB: Lee 6-1; Eby 1-2, Climenhaga 3-2. HR-Amanda Gordon (E).