WASHINGTON, DC (March 27, 2023) – The Susquehanna baseball team wrapped up their three-game road series with #20 Catholic on Monday afternoon, putting up another good fight but ultimately falling short for a third time against the Cardinals, losing 10-9 on a walk-off double.
As was the case in yesterday's second game, Catholic started fast, picking up runs in the first inning. After back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the inning, two SU errors on one play allowed both runners to score. The River Hawks would get runners on second and third in the top of the 2nd, but were unable to bring them home, not tallying their first run until the following frame. First-year Jack Cahill came to the plate with one out and launched a solo home run over the left field fence, the second of his career after he hit one in his collegiate debut earlier in the season.
Catholic unleashed their own power hitting in response, hitting a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to take a 4-1 lead. SU would be the next to score, again notching a single run in the top of the 5th, when Dylan Heyduk eventually came around to score on an RBI groundout by Cahill after leading off the inning with a double. However, the Cardinals again matched the SU score and bettered it, hitting another two-run home run in the bottom of the inning and expanding their lead to four runs. The bats were finally awake for Susquehanna though, as they would score in the next three-straight innings, beginning with a single run in the top of the 6th as Thomas Romanelli tripled and then came home to score on an error during the relay throw in.
The Cardinals continued to tap into their power, going yard once more in the bottom of the 6th to restore their four-run lead. But Cahill had an answer of his own in the top of the 7th, stepping up to the plate with two runners on base and hitting his second home run of the game, only the second River Hawk with a multi-home run game this season. His total of five RBIs matched his total from his debut game, that tally tying the most in game for any River Hawk hitter this season. And SU wasn't done, unleashing another multi-run inning in the top of the 8th, as Tony Rossi led off with a double before scoring on another Catholic error, following by Romanelli coming home on a Sean McCulloch sacrifice fly, and J.P. Yore scoring on an RBI single from Thomas Andersen. SU now held their first lead of the game with the score 9-7.
Catholic would not lie down, hitting their fourth home run of the game in the bottom of the 8th, a solo shot that cut SU's lead down to one. After a lineout double play stalled a potential big inning for the River Hawks in the top of the 9th, they again entered the bottom of the 9th with a one-run advantage to try and protect, just as they did in game one of yesterday's doubleheader. And unfortunately, just as was the case yesterday, Catholic managed a rally again, capitalizing on a fielding error during the lead off at-bat and a one-out, two-RBI double to left center to walk off the game in one play.
Susquehanna leaves DC with no wins despite totaling 30 hits over the three games, falling to 12-7 overall and 1-4 in the Landmark Conference. They remain on the road for their next game, taking on Penn State Harrisburg in non-conference play on Tuesday, March 28 at 3:30 pm. They'll continue with non-conference play next weekend, returning home for a three-game series against the University of Mary Washington, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 1 at 1 pm.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
