DOYLESTOWN (PA) – Delaware Valley College moved into first place in the Freedom Conference as the Aggies posted a doubleheader sweep of visiting Alvernia University, 4-0 and 4-3.

Picked to finish seventh out of nine teams in the Freedom's preseason coaches' poll after graduating the core of last year's runner-up squad, the youthful Aggies (10 of the 15 players on the roster freshmen and sophomores) are instead on top of the standings at the halfway point of conference play. They have a 10-10 overall and a 6-2 mark in the Freedom as they leapfrogged defending Freedom Conference DeSales University (8-4).

Part of that youth are freshmen pitchers Brianne Birtell, Maggie Kichler, and Becky Furman and the trio combined to not allow an earned run in 14 innings of play on Thursday. Birtell hurled a four-hit shutout with two strikeouts in the opener and improved to 5-2. Kichler (2-5) followed with five strong innings in the nightcap as all three runs by Alvernia were off Aggie errors. Furman then pitched two perfect innings in relief for her fourth save of the year.

Delaware Valley got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning of the first game as senior Robyn Jackson led off with a bunt single, stole second and moved to third on a ground out. With two outs, senior Lacy Miles singled to left field to bring home Jackson for a 1-0 lead. The Aggies then took advantage of four straight errors by the Crusaders (11-16, 1-9) in the sixth inning and scored three times for some breathing room.
Birtell was the lone Delaware Valley player to have a multiple-hit game as she went 2-for-3. Dina Chiapelli and Rhinnon Sorrentino each went 2-for-3 for Alvernia while Michelle Jensen suffered the loss despite allowing just one earned run and five hits in six innings of work.

Jensen started the nightcap as well for the Crusaders and the Aggies touched her for two runs in the first thanks to a two-run double by freshman Erin Fox. They added to the lead in the second as rookie Keri Hardiman knocked in a run with a two-out single.

The teams then traded runs for a 4-1 score. Alvernia notched its run in the top of the third off a Delaware Valley miscue while junior Bethany Pavlik delivered with a two-out RBI single that plated freshman Krystal Diaz. The Crusaders made things interesting with two runs in the fifth off a pair of Aggie errors, but Furman shut them down the rest of the way to clinch the victory.

Hardiman went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI while Fox was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Diaz and Pavlik were each 2-for-4 with Pavlik driving home a run. Sorrentino went 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Crusaders.