Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

YORK, Pa. – Susquehanna continued its early-season trend of solid pitching as its pitching staff helped give the Crusaders a split against York (Pa.) on Tuesday afternoon. SU, which opened its season with eight games in Florida, captured a 4-1, eight-inning victory in game one before falling to the Spartans 2-1 in the nightcap.

Senior Cara Swerdlow (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) tossed seven shutout innings in the game-one win and gave up just one unearned run as SU (7-3) took the game in extra innings.

Game two starter Sarah Hoffman (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing Valley) went the full six innings and gave up only two runs on just three hits while striking out three York batters.

In the opening game, the Crusaders themselves were held scoreless for seven innings. They did manage eight hits off York pitcher Chelsea Bock, and had a runner reach second with two outs in the seventh, but could not put a run across the plate to force extra innings.

The game headed into the eighth where Shelly Landis (Souderton, Pa./Christopher Dock Mennonite/Gannon) came up with a clutch, two-run double to left center that scored Sarah Dowzicky (Collegeville, Pa./Germantown Academy) and Brennan Balfour (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth).

The Crusaders proceeded to load the bases, still with no one out, and Kim Rubino (Parsippany, N.J./Parsipanny) plated two more runs with a single up the middle to make it 4-0.

Swerdlow surrendered her first hit of the game in the bottom half of the inning and the Spartans  (9-5) scored an unearned run following a passed ball, but the senior got Brittany Schlorff to strike out looking and preserve SU's 4-1 victory.

Despite nine hits in game two, including three from catcher Brittany Devlin (Furlong, Pa./Central Bucks East), SU managed only one run, which came in the form of a Balfour RBI triple in the fifth that scored Dowzicky, who had reached on a fielder's choice.

The Spartans used a first-inning solo home run to take the 1-0 lead and tacked on their second, and ultimately game-winning, run on a fifth-inning wild pitch.

Next games: Saturday, March 19 – doubleheader at TCNJ (first game starts at 1 p.m.)