ST. DAVIDS (PA) – Delaware Valley College clinched a Freedom Conference playoff berth for the third consecutive year as the Aggies split a doubleheader with host Eastern University. Delaware Valley took the first game, 9-2, but dropped a heartbreaking 8-7 decision in the nightcap.

The split put the Aggies' record at 13-13 overall and 9-5 in the Freedom. They are currently tied with Wilkes University for third place and are just a game behind both defending champion DeSales University and Misericordia University for the top spot in the conference with one doubleheader remaining. Delaware Valley travels to DeSales on Saturday while Wilkes meets last-place Alvernia University and Misericordia is at Manhattanville. Manhattanville is 6-8 and one game behind King's College for fifth place.

The top five in the nine-team conference head to the postseason with the fourth and fifth-place teams meeting in an opening-round game at the fourth seed on Tuesday, April 28. The winner of that contest advances with the top three seeds to the double-elimination conference championship that begins on Friday, May 1 at Wilkes University (the pre-determined site).

Delaware Valley used the long ball to win the first game as it tied a school record with four home runs in the contest. All the shots were hit by freshmen as Brianne Birtell, Krystal Diaz, Erin Fox and Keri Hardiman took advantage of the wind blowing out of left field.

The game was scoreless until the top of the fifth when the Aggies loaded the bases with two outs. Hardiman stepped to the plate and smacked a grand slam home run. It was the first round-tripper of her collegiate career and it gave her squad the lead for good at 4-0.

Delaware Valley added four more in the sixth as Fox delivered her team-best fifth home run of the year and Birtell added a three-run shot for her first collegiate home run. Eastern (12-18, 6-10) hit the scoreboard with two runs in the bottom of the sixth but the Aggies added one more in the seventh on Diaz's first career home run. Maggie Kichler improved to 4-6 as she went the full seven innings and allowed just two runs on six hits while striking out five.

The nightcap was the most devastating game of the year for Delaware Valley as it scored an improbable seven runs in the top of the seventh to rally from a 4-0 deficit, only to see the Eagles answer with four in the bottom of the stanza for the 8-7 victory.

The Aggies sent 10 batters to the plate in the seventh and picked up their first two runs on a passed ball and an RBI single by Robyn Jackson. Later in the inning, Diaz and Bethany Pavlik had RBI singles to tie the contest. Those two were on base when Fox delivered a three-run bomb for a 7-4 Delaware Valley advantage. Fox finished 2-for-4 with the three RBIs.

However, the Eagles came right back and made it a 7-6 ballgame as they scored off a single and a wild pitch. Jaclyn Gangemi stepped to the plate with runners on second and third and one out, and she hit a single to center field that brought home both runs to end the wild contest.