Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

SCRANTON, Pa. – The Susquehanna softball team swept a Landmark Conference doubleheader at Scranton and in the process clinched the No. 1 seed in next weekend's Landmark Conference Tournament for the second year in a row.

Saturday's two wins, combined with a Moravian loss to Catholic, secured the No. 1 seed for SU (31-6) which will now host the tournament on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4. The team will first face No. 4 seed Juniata at 11 a.m. in the double-elimination tournament.

The Crusaders (31-6, 8-2) won game one 7-2 and won a 6-2 decision over Scranton (13-16, 4-6) in the nightcap.

In the game one victory, Morgan Lewis (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) pitched the first 5.1 innings and gave up just two runs, none earned, with nine strikeouts. Sarah Hoffman (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing Valley) pitched the final 1.2 innings and gave up just one hit to pick up the save.

At the plate, Brittany Devlin (Furlong, Pa./Central Bucks East) went 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored while Kathryn Gilbert (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) was 2-for-3, including a home run, with a game-high three RBI.

After a scoreless first inning, the Crusaders broke the game open with a five-run second inning. Amanda Neveroski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) drove in the first run on a RBI single and Sarah Bush (West Windsor, N.J./West Windsor Plainsboro North) added a second RBI single for the 2-0 SU lead. Gilbert then came to bat with two runners on base and homered to quickly make it a 5-0 Susquehanna lead.

That remained the score until the top of the fifth when the Crusaders tacked on another run on an Alyssa Cantalini (Kitchener, Ontario/St. David Catholic Secondary) leadoff homer.

The Royals added two runs, their only two of the game, in the bottom half of that inning, but Lewis ended the inning by getting Gabrielle Santarelli to strike out swinging.

Scranton loaded the bases in the sixth, prompting a pitching change. Hoffman proceeded to get out of trouble by inducing an inning-ending double play. SU added a run in the seventh on a Devlin single that scored Madison Clark (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) and Hoffman proceeded to retire the side in order in the seventh.

In the second game, Devlin added two more hits and drove in two runs while Cantalini was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and one RBI. Starter Ashley Cole (Carle Place, N.Y./Carle Place) went the distance, giving up just two runs, none earned, with 13 strikeouts and only one walk.

Both teams scored two runs in their respective halves of the first inning. The Crusaders scored theirs on a Scranton fielding error and a Clark sacrifice fly. The Royals then added two runs in the first on a two-run homerun off the bat of Kristen Williams to knot the game at two.

Susquehanna responded by scoring a run in the second on Claire Hanratty's (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) RBI double. The team tacked on two more runs in the third inning thanks to a Devlin single that scored both Larissa Luu (Montandon, Pa./Milton) and Lauren Gilbert (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and made it 5-2.

SU remained ahead 5-2 until the seventh when the Crusaders scored an insurance run on Cantalini's second leadoff homer of the game. Cole struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to clinch the win and the No. 1 seed.  


2013 Landmark Conference Softball Championship
Day One – Friday, May 3 at Susquehanna
Game 1 – No. 4 Juniata at No. 1 Susquehanna – 11:00 a.m.
Game 2 – No. 3 Catholic vs. No. 2 Moravian – 1:00 p.m.
Game 3 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 3:00 p.m. 

Day Two – Saturday, May 4 at Susquehanna
Game 4 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 – 9:00 a.m.
Game 5 – Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 – 11:00 a.m.
Game 6 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 – 1:00 p.m.
Game 7 – If Necessary – Immediately Following