Softball

King's College 3, Delaware Valley College 2 (Game 1)
King's College 7, Delaware Valley College 6 (Game 2 - 9 innings)

DOYLESTOWN (PA) - Mari Valonis smacked a two-out home run in the ninth inning of the second game to help lead King's College, ranked 24th in Division III, to a Freedom Conference doubleheader sweep of host Delaware Valley College.

The Lady Monarchs won the first game, 3-2, and then used Vaolnis' home run for a 7-6, extra-inning triumph in the nightcap. They improved to 26-6 overall and 11-1 in the conference while the Aggies fell to 16-10 overall and 8-4 in the conference. Delaware Valley needs just one win against Wilkes or one Drew University loss in doubleheaders against Scranton and Wilkes to clinch its first conference playoff berth since 1987.

In the nightcap, Delaware Valley was just four outs away from securing the postseason berth and registering a win over a King's team that has reached the NCAA playoffs in each of the last seven years. The Aggies had a 6-2 lead with two outs in the sixth inning and King's Lindsay Hoerner popped a ball up in foul territory down the first base line. However, the ball was dropped for an error and the inning continued.

Hoerner eventually drew a walk to load the bases. Meaghan Galvin was then hit by a Jennifer Bummer pitch to bring home a run and make it 6-3. Game one starter Kirstyn Ruhling came in for Bummer, but King's Abbey Knoblauch hit a single to knock in two runs for a 6-5 score. A Delaware Valley error on the next play resulted in a run and a tied score, but the Aggies got out of the inning on a running miscue by King's.

Delaware Valley failed to score in the sixth and Bummer re-entered the game as the pitcher. She settled down and retired King's in both the seventh and eighth innings. Hoerner pitched out a minor jam in the seventh and retired Delaware Valley in the eighth as well to send the game to the ninth.

In the ninth, Bummer retired the first two batters before Valonis came to the plate. Valonis fell behind 0-2 in the count but sent the next pitch to straightaway center field and over the 200-foot sign for her fifth home run of the season. Hoerner then retired the Aggies in order in the bottom of the ninth for the improbable victory.

Delaware Valley had jumped on game two starter Amanda Rizner for four runs in the second inning, highlighted by Maureen Ferguson's two-run double. King's scored twice in the third but the Aggies responded with single run in the third and fifth innings. Nancy Kauffman knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly in the third while Brittany Stockert's RBI single made it 6-2 in the fifth,

The opening game saw the Aggies take a 1-0 lead in the third as Lacy Miles smacked a double to right-center and Kim Harle came all the way around from first to score with a beautiful slide around the tag at the plate,

However, King's scored two runs in the top of the fourth as a two-out Delaware Valley error allowed one run to score and another followed on a wild pitch. King's added another in the fifth as another Aggie error kept the inning alive and Knoblauch knocked in a run with a single.

Delaware Valley got one run in the bottom of the fifth on Miles' RBI single but Kelsey Shreaves kept them at bay the rest of the way as she improved to 11-2 on the year. Kirstyn Ruhling took the loss despite not giving up an earned run and just six hits in seven innings. Miles was 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Aggies.