BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Sixth-year head coach Brad Posner collected his 200th career victory as the Susquehanna University softball team began play in the 2021 Landmark Conference Softball Championship Saturday afternoon.
 
The fourth-seeded River Hawks (8-13) posted a 2-1 afternoon, besting No. 6 seed Juniata College (8-19), 4-1, in the first game of the day for Posner's 200th victory during his 10-year career as a head softball coach at University of Texas-Dallas (2012-15, 86 wins) and Susquehanna (2016-present, 115 wins).
 
Susquehanna then dropped a 9-1 decision in six innings to No. 4 and top-seeded Moravian College (27-0) in the second game before eliminating Juniata from the tournament with a 7-0 win in the nightcap. The River Hawks will now face Moravian again on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. and will need to hand the Greyhounds two losses in order to advance to next weekend's Landmark championship series and compete for the program's third Landmark title.
 
GAME 1 vs. No. 6 seed Juniata
How It Happened
Susquehanna, who hadn't played in 12 days due to COVID protocols before today, was eager to get going and staked an early 2-0 lead with two runs in the bottom of the second inning.
 
Junior Kiara Bryant (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) started off the second inning with a walk before advancing all the way to third on a Juniata throwing error. Bryant and sophomore Morgan Henry (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge), who reached on a fielder's choice and stole second, both scored on a two-out single down the right field line by first-year Zoe Bork (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township).
 
The River Hawks added another run in the third for a 3-0 lead as junior Katie Koch (West Milton, Pa./Lewisburg Area) connected on a one-out double to left field to bring home first-year Nicole Plesh (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central Regional), who hit a lead-off single.
 
Juniata got on the board in the top of the fourth as Maya McLeod cracked a one-out solo shot over the left field fence to cut the deficit to 3-1. Junior right-handed starter Katie Murphy (Havre de Grace, Md./C. Milton Wright) held the Eagles at one run with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
 
SU's final run of the game came in the fifth inning when sophomore Ashley Warner (Bloomsbury, N.J./Phillipsburg) crossed home plate on Henry's two-out double. Warner had reached base on a one-out single.
 
After the lead-off Eagle batter in the sixth reached on an error, Murphy retired six straight to propel the River Hawks to a matchup with Moravian.
 
Inside the Box Score
Susquehanna scored four runs on seven hits with one error while leaving six on base. The River Hawks connected on three doubles and drew a pair of walks. Juniata was limited to one run on three hits with one error while just stranding two on base. The Eagles cracked one double and one home run.
 
Top Performers
Plesh led the way for SU with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate and a run scored while Bork drove in two runs. Murphy (2-3) threw her second complete game of the season as she struck out a career-best 12 batters with no walks in facing 24 batters.
 
Three different Eagles were able to get a hit off of Murphy while Cate Baran (4-10) took the loss in the circle despite six strikeouts of her own.
 
GAME 2 at No. 1 seed Moravian
How It Happened
Despite having active bats in the second game, the River Hawks were only able to muster one run against top-seeded Moravian.
 
Susquehanna claimed the first lead and its only run of the contest in the top of the second inning when Koch connected on a two-out double to left field to bring home first-year Nicole Wuertz (Glenmoore, Pa./Coatesville Area), who had a bunt single and then went to second on a fielder's choice.
 
The game was tied 1-1 after three innings as Moravian scored once in the bottom of the third inning. Alexis Agrapides' one-out single centerfield drove in Maura Kane, who had a lead-off single.
 
The Greyhounds then tacked on seven more runs over the next two innings – four in the fourth and three in the fifth – to boast an 8-1 advantage. Emily Silberman highlighted the fifth inning with a one-out three-run home run.
 
Moravian ended the game in the sixth with Alexandria Scheeler's sacrifice fly, which brought home Brooke Wehr and gave the hosts an eight-run rule for the mercy rule to go into effect.
 
Inside the Box Score
The River Hawks scored their one run on 11 hits with one error and left 10 on base. This was the sixth time this season that Susquehanna has put up double-digit hits in a game. Moravian scored nine runs on 14 hits with no errors and stranded five runners.
 
Top Performers
Koch, Henry, Wuertz, and junior captain Erin Bean (Watchung, N.J./Watchung Hills) each collected two hits to lead Susquehanna at the plate. Senior captain Gabby Bubba (Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Pope John XXIII) suffered the loss in the circle as Bubba (3-7) gave up five runs (four earned) on nine hits in 4.0 innings of work.
 
Wehr finished the game going 3-for-4 with a double and a run while Silberman went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI. Madison Hummel (13-0) remained undefeated as Hummel struck out two and allowed just one run in her 11th complete game of the season.
 
GAME 3 vs. No. 6 seed Juniata
How It Happened
The River Hawks broke a scoreless draw in the bottom of the fourth inning by scoring all seven of their runs in the fourth, including the last three runs coming with two outs on the board. Warner highlighted the inning with a two-out triple down the leftfield line to score both Bean and Koch, who had each hit an RBI single in their respective at-bats.
 
Inside the Box Score
For the first time this season, the River Hawks recorded back-to-back games with double-digit hits as SU tallied seven runs on 10 hits with no errors and had seven runners stranded on base. Juniata was held to five hits with no errors and left four on base.
 
Top Performers
Bean went 3-for-4 in the game and finished the three-game day going 5-for-11 for a .455 batting average. Warner and Bryant both connected on two hits with Warner driving in two runs. Bubba (4-7) bounced back in the nightcap, notching her fourth win of the season with three strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.
 
McLeod led the Eagles as she went 2-for-3 while Catherine Miller finished the season with a 4-4 record after giving up five runs (all earned) on four hits in 3.1 innings of action.
 
Up Next for the River Hawks
May 9 at No. 4 Moravian (27-0) – Bethlehem, Pa. / Blue & Grey Field – 11:00 a.m.
 
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