ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Elizabethtown Splits Doubleheader at Alvernia

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

READING, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College earned a split of its non-conference softball doubleheader at Alvernia College on Wednesday afternoon, falling 2-1 in eight innings in game one before coming back for an 8-2 win in game two.

In game one, the Blue Jays broke a scoreless tie in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI single by senior Abbie Merrifield (York, PA/Dallastown), but the Crusaders answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning on an error and a game-winning single from Rhiannon Sorrentino.

Elizabethtown finished with nine hits against Alvernia starter Michelle Jensen, including a 2-for-3 performance from sophomore Paige Tanner (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) and two hits in two at-bats by sophomore Marian Guzik (Greensburg, PA/Hempfield Area), who returned to the lineup after missing 21 games with an injury.

Senior Alex Lee (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus) threw a complete game for the Blue Jays in game one, allowing just four hits and two unearned runs while striking out five and walking one.

In game two, the Blue Jays (11-14 overall) broke a 1-1 tie with six runs in the top of the fourth inning, while Lee (9-8) struck out eight in her second complete game of the day.

Elizabethtown took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a wild pitch, but Alvernia (24-7 overall) answered in the bottom of the second on an RBI double by Jackie Rhoads.

In the fourth, the Blue Jays exploded for six runs on six hits to take a 7-1 lead. Sophomore Ryan Allard (Londonderry, NH/Londonderry) broke the tie with an RBI single, while Tanner added a two-run triple, first-year student Kelsea Corrado (La Plata, MD/La Plata) singled home a run and sophomore Sheri Hihn (Aston, PA/Sun Valley) walked with the bases loaded while a Crusader error allowed another run to score.

The Blue Jays added another run in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk to Merrifield, and the Crusaders closed the scoring for the day in the bottom of the fifth on a bases-loaded walk to Colleen Ambrosius.

Corrado finished 3-for-5 in game two for the Blue Jays, while junior Holly Martin (Elizabethtown, PA/Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, NY) went 2-for-4 with a run scored and Tanner scored twice and drove in two other runs.

Sorrentino and Rhoads each finished 2-for-4 in the nightcap for Alvernia, and starting pitcher Emily Williams went 2-for-3 at the plate while allowing seven runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Game one
Alvernia College 2, Elizabethtown Coll. 1
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Elizabethtown Coll.. 000 000 01 - 1 9 2 (10-14)
Alvernia College.... 000 000 02 - 2 4 1 (24-6)
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Alex Lee and Abbie Merrifield; Michelle Jensen and Samantha Geisinger. WP-Jensen (12-2). LP-Lee (8-8). SO-BB: Lee 5-1; Jensen 2-2.

Game two
Elizabethtown Coll. 8, Alvernia College 2
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Elizabethtown Coll.. 100 610 0 - 8 9 2 (11-14)
Alvernia College.... 001 010 0 - 2 8 2 (24-7)
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Alex Lee and Abbie Merrifield; Emily Williams, Sara Kilby (4), Ashley Leonhard (6) and Colleen Ambrosius. WP-Lee (9-8). LP-Williams (9-4). SO-BB: Lee 8-2; Williams 3-4, Kilby 1-3, Leonhard 2-0.