Clermont, Fla. – The Susquehanna University softball team opened up action on Sunday at The Spring Games down in Florida. Susquehanna's (2-3) rally came up short in a 4-3 loss to Amherst College (2-0) before falling 9-4 to University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (3-1).
 
Game 1
Susquehanna 3, Amherst 4
 
How It Happened

• Amherst, a 2018 NCAA Tournament team, jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Andrea Sanders came home on a sacrifice fly after drawing a leadoff walk, stealing second, and advancing to third on a single. The Mammoths doubled their lead as back-to-back errors allowed Kate Kopatic to score as she drew a walk. With bases loaded, senior captain Alexa Gonzalez (Northport, N.Y./Northport) got out of the inning with her second strikeout of the inning.
• The Mammoths stretched their lead to 3-0 in the second as Sanders crossed home plate on Kopatic's two-out double to center field.
• Susquehanna finally put a run on the board in the bottom of the fourth when freshman catcher Katie Koch (West Milton, Pa./Lewisburg Area) drew a leadoff walk and then scored on an Amherst error all the way from first base.
• Following a scoreless fifth inning, the Mammoths tacked on their fourth run in the sixth as Annie Murphy notched an unearned run on a fielder's choice after connecting on a one-out single, stealing second, and going to third on an error.
• The River Hawks trimmed Amherst's lead to one in the sixth as SU tallied two runs off of junior captain Kasey Bost's (Eldersburg, Md./Liberty) single to left field, driving home junior outfielder Emily Lear (Elmira, N.Y./Thomas Edison), who singled and went to second on a wild pitch, and Koch, who walked and then advanced to second on another walk. The Mammoths' Lorena Ukanwa threw her ninth strikeout and then got the next Susquehanna batter to ground into a double play to end the River Hawks' rally.
• Sophomore Brooke Wiarda (Green Pond, N.J./Morris Knolls) held Amherst to no runs on one hit in the seventh but Ukanwa limited SU to just one baserunner in its final at-bat.

 
Inside the Box Score

• Amherst scored four runs on five hits with one error while the River Hawks tallied three runs on two hits with three errors.
• The Mammoths connected on a pair of doubles and recorded three RBI with two stolen bases.

 
Top Performers

• Bost and Lear were the only River Hawks to collect a hit with Bost grabbing two RBI.

• Gonzalez was saddled with the loss, dropping to 1-1 on the season after giving up three runs (two earned) on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts in 3.0 innings. Wiarda pitched 4.0 innings of relief, yielding one unearned run on two hits with one walk and one strikeout.
• Ukanwa finished with 10 strikeouts and three walks in the complete game win, giving up two hits. RonnieMarie Falasco paced Amherst at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.

 
Game 2
Susquehanna 4, Massachusetts-Dartmouth 9
 
How It Happened

• Freshman infielder Kiara Bryant (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) helped Susquehanna strike first in the top of the first as Bryant crossed home plate when sophomore infielder Kody Streeter (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) was hit by a pitch with bases loaded. Bost then made it a 2-0 SU lead as she came home on a fielder's choice to sophomore Michelle Principe (East Northport, N.Y./Commack). Following a double steal, the Corsairs ended the inning with a ground out.
• UMass-Dartmouth cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the second as Cierra Sheerin scored on an error. The Corsairs evened the game at 2-2 when Kylie Fletcher tagged home plate on a fielder's choice. Autumn Medeiros gave her team a one-run lead as on a single to leftfield. UMD gained a 4-2 advantage when Leah Major came home on a sacrifice fly. An infield popup ended the inning.
• The Corsairs added two more in the third as Major connected on a two-out, two-run single to centerfield before freshman Katie Murphy (Havre de Grace, Md./C. Milton Wright) struck out the nine-hole hitter to stop the 6-0 run.
• Susquehanna got one back in the fourth after Koch singled in her at-bat as the second hitter of the inning, went to second on Bryant's single, and scored on Bost's single to right field.
• UMD picked up another two runs in the fifth to stretch its lead to 8-3 behind Lindsay Chubbuck's two-run double to centerfield with no outs.
• The River Hawks trimmed the deficit to 8-4 in the sixth as Lear scored on a ground out to the shortstop after leading off the inning with a bunt single, stealing second, and advancing to third on a ground out to the shortstop.
• UMD made it a five-run margin in its half of the sixth inning as Kaitlyn Hart was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on Fletcher's single.
• Annika Evensen sat down Susquehanna's bottom half of the lineup in order to give the Corsairs their second win of the season.

 
Inside the Box Score

• Susquehanna matched a season-best with five stolen bases while notching four runs on five hits with three errors.
• The Corsairs came away with nine runs on seven hits, including one double, and four errors.

 
Top Performers

• The River Hawks had five different players collect a single while Bost drove in two runs.
• Murphy suffered the first loss of her rookie campaign as she gave up six runs (one earned) on three hits in 3.0 innings of action, striking out three with three walks.
• Chubbuck was one of seven UMD athletes to get a hit while batting in a pair of runs. Evensen garnered the win in relief, allowing a run on two hits with a strikeout and two walks in 3.2 innings.

 
Up Next for the River Hawks

• Mar. 11 vs. Washington-St. Louis (1-1) – Clermont, Fla. – 3:45 p.m.
• Mar. 11 vs. Worcester State (0-2) – Clermont, Fla. – 6:00 p.m.

 
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