Scranton Boxscore
Moravian Boxscore
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Susquehanna University split a pair of
games on Day One of the Landmark Conference softball championships
at Moravian College's Blue & Grey Field on May 7.
No. 2-seeded Susquehanna (30-10 overall) now stands one win shy
of making it back to the championship round of the Landmark
playoffs for the second year in a row. No. 1-seeded Moravian (29-11
overall) is there as well as two-time defending conference
champions and now three-time conference finalists.
SU defeated third-seeded The University of Scranton (15-16
overall), 3-0, in its first game on May 7 before falling to
Moravian, 6-5, in 10 innings.
Susquehanna will now play the winner of the May 8 Juniata
College (19-17 overall) and Scranton game at
approximately 12:30 p.m. that same day. Fourth-seeded Juniata
and Scranton will play at 10:30 a.m. in the first elimination
game of this double-elimination tournament. The loser of the game
set for approximately 12:30 p.m. will also be eliminated, while the
winner will advance to the final round with Moravian, scheduled for
an approximate 2:30 p.m. start.
Should Moravian lose in the first championship-round game, a
winner-takes-all, final game will be played on May 9 at
12 p.m.
The winner of the 2010 Landmark title will receive an automatic
invitation to the NCAA Division III championships, though Moravian
and Susquehanna--ranked Nos. 3 and 4 in the latest Division III
East Region poll--are both strong possibilities for an at-large
invitation to the NCAA playoffs anyway.
Junior Cara Swerdlow (Bloomfield,
N.J./Bloomfield) earned the win against Scranton, blanking
the Royals through the first five innings on just two hits and one
walk. Swerdlow struck out a game-high six batters
before giving way to freshman Sarah Hoffman (Laceyville,
Pa./Wyalusing Valley), who finished the game for her SU
single-season-record-tying second save this year.
Hoffman allowed just one hit and notched one
strikeout.
The Crusaders did all of their damage against Scranton in the
first inning. Junior infielder Shelly Landis (Souderton,
Pa./Christopher Dock Mennonite) was hit by a pitch with
one out and the bases loaded, and junior infielder/pitcher
Kim Rubino (Parsippany, N.J./Parsippany) followed
that with a sacrifice fly. Another junior infielder--Taylor
Crawford (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley HS)--then capped
things off with a run-scoring single.
Landis finished the game 2-for-2, while
Rubino was 1-for-2. Crawford
batted 2-for-3 in that game.
SU's junior infielder Brennan Balfour (Cape Elizabeth,
Maine/Cape Elizabeth) batted 2-for-4 against Scranton and
scored on the Rubino sac fly. Sophomore outfielder
Lisa Finizio (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) was
1-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt. Finizio scored on
the Landis hit batsman.
Senior catcher Kelli Holota (Spring Lake,
N.J./Livingston) was hitless in two at bats but was struck
by a pitch to load the bases for Landis and
eventually scored on Crawford's hit.
Sophomore outfielder Sarah Dowzicky (Collegeville,
Pa./Germantown Academy) went 1-for-2 against Scranton and
was also hit by a pitch.
Swerdlow also got the nod against Moravian for
her school-record 59th career pitching start. SU Sports Hall of
Famer Judy Sholtis '86 started 58 games from 1983 to 1986.
Swerdlow allowed five Greyhounds to score on seven
hits and two walks. She struck out two Moravian batters before
Hoffman again replaced her.
Hoffman threw 4 2/3 strong innings but was
tagged with the tough loss for allowing a walk-off single in the
bottom of the 10th inning. She finished the game with six hits
against and one walk against.
The Crusaders led Moravian, 5-1, entering the fifth inning, but
Moravian scored four times in that frame to tie things up.
Susquehanna dodged bullets for most of the rest of the game, as
Moravian left the go-ahead run in scoring position in the sixth,
seventh and ninth innings before finally breaking through with a
two-out single in the 10th through the right side of the infield.
Landis went 3-for-5 against Moravian with a
double and two runs batted in. Finizio and
Crawford were both 2-for-4 with a run.
Finizio had a walk, a double and two RBI, and
Crawford was hit by a pitch.
SU's senior outfielder Deanna Anderson (Coal Twp.,
Pa./Shamokin Area) went 2-for-5, while
Holota and Balfour were both
1-for-5 with a run. Holota picked up an RBI.
Dowzicky scored once in a 1-for-4 game.
Finizio now has a school single-season-record
51 hits this year. Dina Fornataro '97 held the old record of 48
hits in 1996.
Next Game: Saturday, May 8, vs. Scranton or Juniata
(Landmark Conference playoffs at Moravian), 12:30 p.m.
