SELINSGROVE, PA (April 16, 2023) – The Susquehanna baseball team faced Landmark foes Elizabethtown in a home doubleheader on Sunday afternoon, falling 8-5 in game 1 before coming up just short in game 2, losing 11-9.
Game 1: Elizabethtown 8, Susquehanna 5
The visiting Blue Jays jumped out to an early advantage in the top of the 2nd inning, benefitting from back-to-back walks to lead off the frame, an SU fielding error, and a two-out single to plate two runs. After going down in order in the bottom of the 2nd, the River Hawks finally got into the hit column and onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the 3rd, as Kris Morrow led off the inning with a solo home run over the right field fence, cutting the gap to one. They would score again in the bottom of the 4th, taking their first lead of the day after a walk, a double steal, and three straight singles brought two runs home, but the inning ultimately ended with the bases loaded for the River Hawks and the lead at just one.
That lead wouldn't last long, as the Blue Jays answered back with three runs on four hits in the top of the 5th, leaving two runners on base but reclaiming the lead. Scoring would go quiet until the bottom of the 7th inning, when Tony Rossi came to the plate with a runner on first and two outs on the board, and launched a home run out over the right field wall, tying the game for SU. The 8th inning would see both offenses sat down in order, queueing up a dramatic finish with the game tied. The momentum appeared to favor SU, as Brice Gregory struck out the first two E-Town batters. But with only one out left, the Blue Jays worked two-straight walks before getting a clutch three-run home run, what proved to be the decisive hit of the game, as SU got a pinch-hit single from Jack Cahill but couldn't string anything else together, falling by the 8-5 final score.
Game 2: Elizabethtown 11, Susquehanna 9
Once more it was Elizabethtown who got off on the front foot, scoring a run in the top of the 1st before adding two more on a home run in the top of the 2nd to take a 3-0 advantage. But the River Hawks had a response in the bottom of the inning, get all three back in one frame with the help of two hits and two fielding errors by the Blue Jay defense, culminating in a two-RBI single by Sean McCulloch.
Elizabethtown flexed their power hitting again in the top of the 3rd, with a solo shot to right field giving the visitors the lead once more. They would add one more in the top of the 4th on an RBI single, then keeping SU quiet in the bottom of the inning. The answer would come an inning later, as it was the River Hawks' turn to show off their power hitting. Morrow came through once more, tallying his second home run of the day, this a two-run shot to right center, coming after an RBI sacrifice fly, tallying the second and third runs of the inning and giving SU their first lead of the day.
The lead would grow on another home run in the bottom of the 6th, this off the bat of J.P. Yore, who came to the plate after back-to-back one-out singles and launched the River Hawks' third home run of the game to push the score to 9-5. However, the visitors would not lie down. They pushed three runs across in the top of the 7th, putting together three hits and two walks. After setting SU down in order in the bottom of the inning, they got back to work in the top of the 8th, with three walks and two more hits, scoring three more runs as they took back the lead. A double play ended any threat for Susquehanna in the 8th inning, but after getting a double play of their own to stop any more runs for Elizabethtown in the top of the 9th, they were once again unable to string enough together in the decisive bottom of the 9th, getting a one-out single from Brock Veit, but seeing the game end on a hard-hit lineout to the pitcher by Morrow.
The River Hawks had plenty of strong performances at the plate in the game, with the aforementioned home runs being part of a 12-hit team effort. Six River Hawks had two hits, with Veit, Rossi, Yore, and Morrow joined by Sean McCulloch and Lance Book. Yore's three RBIs led the team in the category.
The team now sits at 16-14 overall and 4-7 in the Landmark Conference, with the third game of the conference series between these two teams yet to be rescheduled after inclement weather yesterday. The team's next game will take them on the road mid-week, as they'll visit Keystone College on Tuesday, April 18 at 3:30 pm for a non-conference matchup.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
