ANNVILLE, Pa. – Designated hitter Shane Stossel hit a two-run home run in the Lebanon Valley College baseball team's 6–4 victory over Alvernia University on Friday, giving the club a 1–0 lead in the best-of-three Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth Championship Series at McGill Field.  

Lebanon Valley (27-15-1) picked up a comeback victory in game one behind a four-run sixth inning, which gave the club a lead it wouldn't relinquish. The Dutchmen had a productive afternoon in the batter's box, scoring six runs on eight hits. The team also received some solid pitching performances that limited Alvernia (27-17). Starting pitcher Tommy Moore Jr. kept LVC in the ballgame, striking out six batters in 6.1 innings of work.

The Golden Wolves opened the scoring in the top of the first inning, taking an early 1–0 lead on a single to right field. The Flying Dutchmen answered right back in the bottom half of the frame, taking a 2–1 advantage. Stossel got the club on the board by clobbering a two-run homer over the left-center field wall, plating Logan Brewer. 

Alvernia then promptly reclaimed its lead in the top of the second inning, making it a 3–2 ballgame on a double down the left field line and a single to left. The pitching staffs of both teams then settled into a rhythm, trading zeros until the bottom of the sixth. Moore Jr. cruised through this stretch of the game, allowing just three more hits while keep it a one-run game. 

Lebanon Valley's bats came alive in the sixth inning, producing a big frame to take a 6–3 lead. Catcher Jace Fetterman tied the game by lining a single to center field, driving in Stossel. Third baseman Andrew Miles followed this by drawing a walk with the bases loaded, forcing home Connor Smith. Right fielder Pete Botbyl then capped off the scoring by blooping a two-run single into shallow left field, plating Dave Mangold and Fetterman.

The Golden Wolves attempted to claw back into the game in the top of the eighth, trimming the Dutchmen's lead to 6-4 on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. Alvernia had the chance to add more in the frame, as the bases were loaded with two outs. Reliever Hunter Tipton ultimately managed to escape the jam, recovering a ground ball hit back to the mound and throwing to first to record the third out just in time. Jacob Detwiler then came out of the bullpen for the ninth inning, securing Lebanon Valley's victory with a scoreless frame.   

Inside the Box Score

• Botbyl picked up a hit and drove in two runs.
• Stossel hit his 10th home run of the season and scored twice during the game.
• Brewer recorded two knocks and crossed the plate once. 
• Smith logged a pair of hits and a run scored. 
• Fetterman knocked in a run with his single in the sixth inning and later scored a run.
• Miles registered an RBI. 
• Moore Jr. fanned six batters, picking up his eighth win of the season.
• Detwiler earned his fourth save of the campaign. 

Up Next

The Dutchmen will return to the diamond at noon tomorrow, as the club will continue its best-of-three series with the Golden Wolves in a possible doubleheader at McGill Field. The Dutchmen take the series if they win game two, but the clubs will play a series-deciding game three 30 minutes following the conclusion of the game if Alvernia wins. 

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