SU Softball Honors Seniors by Splitting DH with Regionally Ranked Moravian

SELINSGROVE, Pa. -- Susquehanna University and visiting Moravian College split a Landmark Conference softball doubleheader on Senior Day at Sassafras Fields on May 1. Susquehanna took Game 1, 3-0, before losing Game 2, 8-1.

SU (29-9, 8-4 Landmark) is ranked No. 4 in the latest NCAA Division III East Region poll. Moravian (27-11, 11-1 Landmark) is ranked No. 3.

Junior Cara Swerdlow (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) earned the Game 1 win, pitching all seven innings and scattering five hits and two walks while striking out three batters to earn her school-record 16th victory this season. Swerdlow held the Crusaders' old single-season wins record with 15 victories last year. She is 16-5 this year with 19 complete games, including six shutouts. Her 14 career shutouts are also a school record, one more than the career total of SU Sports Hall of Famer Judy Sholtis '86.

Moravian, the No. 1 seed and host of the Landmark's upcoming double-elimination championships tournament, had not lost a conference game this season before dropping one in this doubleheader.

SU, the No. 2 seed, scored the only three runs of the first game in the fourth inning, highlighted by a two-run double from junior infielder Shelly Landis (Souderton, Pa./Christopher Dock Mennonite). Landis finished the first game 1-for-3.

SU's senior catcher Kelli Holota (Spring Lake, N.J./Livingston) went 1-for-3, driving in the eventual game-winning run with a single earlier in the fourth inning.

Senior outfielder Deanna Anderson (Coal Twp., Pa./Shamokin Area) scored on that Holota hit as part of a 2-for-3 game. Anderson led off the fourth with a single, and sophomore outfielder Lisa Finizio (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills), who went 1-for-3 in the opener, followed with a bunt base hit. Junior infielder Brennan Balfour (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth) moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt.

Balfour finished Game 1 0-for-2, but her bunt set the stage for Holota and Landis. Finizio scored the second run, and Holota scored the third.

Moravian left 11 runners on base in the first game.

Susquehanna hurt itself with five errors in Game 2, including two costly ones in the sixth inning which led to five unearned runs.

Freshman Sarah Hoffman (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing Valley) suffered the loss in the nightcap, allowing all eight runs (three earned) on 10 hits and no walks. Hoffman is 11-4 this season with 13 complete games.

Finizio went 2-for-3 in Game 2 with a triple and run scored. She now has 48 hits this year, tying Susquehanna's single-season record set by Dina Fornataro '97 in 1996.

Balfour went 0-for-2 again but drove in Finizio with a sacrifice fly in the fourth to tie the game at 1.

Landis had the Crusaders' other Game 2 hit, going 1-for-3. Junior infielder/pitcher Kim Rubino (Parsippany, N.J./Parsippany) was 0-for-2 but was hit by a pitch for the 14th time this season.

Next Games: Friday-Sunday, May 7-9, at Landmark Conference playoffs (hosted by Moravian)

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