Scranton Box Score
Catholic Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Susquehanna softball team quickly shook off its tournament-opening loss on Friday by grabbing an early victory on Saturday against Scranton, but was then eliminated from the Landmark Conference Tournament with a 2-0 loss to Catholic.
 
The number-two seeded Crusaders (29-12) eliminated No. 4 Scranton with a 3-1 game-one victory but were than blanked by second-seeded Catholic (22-16) to end their tournament run.

In the win over Scranton, senior Cara Swerdlow (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) took the circle for Susquehanna and surrendered just one unearned run on one hit while striking out three Royals. Sophomore Sarah Hoffman (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing Valley), who took the loss on Friday, rebounded to pick up her first save of the spring by tossing two shutout innings to end the game.

At the plate, seven different players had one hit for the Crusaders, with Kate Reese (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro Area) driving in two of SU's three runs.

Scranton was able to jump out to a 1-0 lead after capitalizing on a SU throwing error, but in the bottom of the second, Taylor Crawford (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley HS) drove home the tying run with a one-out double to right field that scored Brennan Balfour (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth).

It remained knotted at one until the bottom of the fourth when the Crusaders pulled ahead for good with a two-run inning. With two outs, Sarah Dowzicky (Collegeville, Pa./Germantown Academy) singled to right and Lisa Finizio (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) reached second on a two-base error. Reese then came through with a single down the right field line to plate Dowzicky and Finizio and make it 3-1.

Thanks to a solid fifth inning from Swerdlow and the two shutout innings from Hoffman, Susquehanna held on for the 3-1 victory.

Unfortunately the momentum from that win could not propel SU to a win over Catholic. Susquehanna managed just three hits against the Cardinals, with Balfour accounting for two of those hits.

Swerdlow made back-to-back starts and was just as dominant as in the day's opening game. She gave up only four hits, registered nine strikeouts and gave up two runs, only one of which was earned, in her full six innings of work.

The Cardinals put together a two-run third that wound up being the decisive inning. They scored their first run on a Mel Galella single and took advantage of a throwing error at first base to score what ended up being an insurance run.

The Crusaders put two runners on the sixth and drew a leadoff walk in the seventh but were unable to find the big hit.

Susquehanna finishes its season with a 29-12 overall record, including a 9-3 mark in league play, and went 13-1 at home. All-Landmark Conference teams will be announced next week.