SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Junior infielder Kiara Bryant (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) drove in six runs Tuesday afternoon as the Susquehanna University softball team wrapped up their four-game series with Juniata College. Susquehanna (2-2, 2-2 LC) once again split its Landmark Conference doubleheader with Juniata (2-6, 2-6 LC), dropping a 4-1 decision in the first game before claiming an 8-2 victory in the second.
 
GAME 1
How It Happened
Susquehanna recorded the first hit of the game in the bottom of the second when senior designated hitter Brittany Hebda (Kingston, Pa./Holy Redeemer) hit a one-out single to left-center and then went to second on a passed ball. However, first-year Cate Baran escaped the inning with no runs with back-to-back strikeouts.
 
Senior Gabby Bubba (Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Pope John XXIII) retired the Eagle side in order through the first three innings with four strikeouts.
 
Juniata finally broke through in the top of the fourth, scoring four runs on three hits. Infielders Alison Superka, Caleigh Love, and Maggie Peck all drove in a run, with Love bringing home two with a single to leftfield, to give the Eagles a 4-0 lead.
 
Bubba shut down Juniata in the fifth while junior Katie Murphy (Havre de Grace, Md./C. Milton Wright) sat down the Eagles in the sixth to keep it a four-run game.
 
The River Hawks got one back in the sixth as they took advantage of a lead-off single by junior infielder Erin Bean (Watchung, N.J./Watchung Hills) and a Juniata error. Bean reached second on the error then went to third on a fielder's choice before scoring on a ground out by Bryant.
 
After Murphy retired the side in order in the seventh, junior catcher Katie Koch (West Milton, Pa./Lewisburg Area) drew a lead-off walk but Baran finished strong and sat down the lineup in order.
 
Inside the Box Score
Each side finished with three hits and neither team connected on an extra-base hit. Juniata made the game's lone error while stealing three bases on their way to their second win of the season.
 
Top Performers
Bean, Hebda, and first-year outfielder Nicole Plesh (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) each notched a single for the River Hawks. Bubba (1-1) picked up the loss, allowing four runs on three hits, two walks and one wild pitch. She struck out a season-best six strikeouts in 5.0 innings of action.
 
Three different Eagles made contact for a single while Love tallied two RBI. Baran (2-2) went the distance as she earned her second win of the season over Susquehanna. She fanned seven River Hawks and walked just one, giving up one run (unearned) and scattering three hits.
 
GAME 2
How It Happened
The River Hawks opened up the second half of the twin bill with a run thanks to an RBI triple by Bryant, bringing home Koch who led off the bottom of the first inning with a single and went to second on a ground out.
 
Juniata knotted the contest at one all in the top of the third when sophomore Madison Wrightstone came home on a fielder's choice with one out on the board. Susquehanna broke the draw in the third with Bryant's bases clearing double to stake a 4-1 lead.
 
The River Hawks continued their scoring ways in the fourth with four more runs on three hits and three Juniata errors for an 8-1 advantage. A two-out RBI single by Superka in the sixth helped Juniata close the gap to 8-2.
 
Murphy sealed the win by sitting down the Eagle side in order.
 
Inside the Box Score
Susquehanna notched double-digit hits for the second time this season as the River Hawks collected 11 hits and posted a season second-best seven RBI. SU tallied four extra-base hits as well while the Eagles were limited to three hits.
 
Top Performers
Koch paced the River Hawks at the plate with a 3-for-4 effort, including a double, and scored three runs while Bryant finished 2-for-3 with five RBI. Senior Brooke Wiarda (Green Pond, N.J./Morris Knolls) recorded the win for Susquehanna as Wiarda (1-0) threw a one-hitter with three strikeouts, allowing just one run (earned) on one hit in 4.0 innings. Murphy registered her second career save as she allowed one run (earned) on three hits with three strikeouts.
 
Three different Juniata players collected singles while junior Catherine Miller (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing four runs (all earned) on eight hits in 2.1 innings with a pair of strikeouts.
 
Up Next for the River Hawks
Apr. 2 at Elizabethtown (0-8, 0-8) – Elizabethtown, Pa. / The Nest – 1:00 p.m. (DH)
 
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