Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 GRANTHAM, PA. (March 23, 2023) – Susquehanna softball split a twinbill Thursday at Messiah, overcoming a disappointing 7-4 first-game defeat with a palpable 11-0 five-inning win in the nightcap. The River Hawks, now 8-7, prepare to host Catholic at home this Sunday.

Senior Ashley Warner reached the 100 career hit milestone in the opening game with a leadoff double in the seventh. At day's end, she now stands with 101 career hits and 18 career doubles. Meredith Pavlik hit a home run in each contest for her fourth and fifth dingers of the season.

MESSIAH 7, SUSQUEHANNA 4
The River Hawks led 4-1 after four-and-a-half innings, answering a Falcons run in the bottom of the second with a solo jack by Hailey Kaba in the top of the third, a two-run blast from Meredith Pavlik in the fourth, and Hannah Roland scoring on a two-out error in the fifth.

While pitcher Hannah Foust held the Falcons to four hits through the first four frames, Messiah finally found an answer with five runs in the bottom of the fifth. The first came on an RBI double, with the next coming on a RBI single. With runners on first and second, the Falcons went ahead on a two-RBI double, with another RBI single getting it up to 6-4. Susquehanna was held to one hit the rest of the way, with another Messiah run coming in the form of an RBI double in the sixth to account for the rest of the scoring.

Foust pitched the first five innings, giving up six earned runs on nine hits with five strikeouts before Amanda Amerman came in to pitch the sixth, allowing one earned run on one hit.
SU had eight hits for the game, including a two-hit day for Lexi Palumbo going 2-for-4 with one double.

SUSQUEHANNA 11, MESSIAH 0
The River Hawks jumped to a 4-0 lead with four runs in the second. With the bases loaded, pitcher Brianna Jones helped out her cause getting hit by a pitch for the first run of the game. Hailey Kaba came up next and brought in another off a single to right, then with the bases juiced again, Lexi Palumbo came through with a two-RBI single to center.
Jones stymied Messiah by allowing just three hits through five innings of work with one strikeout and no walks. The River Hawks pressed on for 11 hits on the day, but saved their best performance for the end with a seven-run fifth to trigger an early ending.

Palumbo led off with a single, then Ashley Warner offered up another double on the next at bat to bring her in. Erin Bean and Zoe Bork both reached base on the ensuing at bats to load the bases again, setting up Stevie Shaak's RBI off a fielder's choice to make it 6-0. Another bases-loaded scenario was created when Kassidy Smith was hit by a pitch, bringing up Jones who reached first on an error at second to make it 7-0. Kaba put the eight-run rule in effect the next AB when her fielder's choice brought home Shaak, then with two runners on Meredith Pavlik skied a shot to right center that made it 11-0. Jones retired the side in the fifth.

Jones plated two RBIs in a 1-for-2 day, while scoring two of her own. Pavlik's three-run blast capitalized a 2-for-4 day with one run, while Palumbo batted 2-for-4 with a pair of ribbies. Kaba had a 1-for-4 day with two RBIs.