BETHLEHEM, PA (April 8, 2023) – After a dominant win at Moravian yesterday, the River Hawk baseball team got back on the field with the Greyhounds for a Saturday afternoon doubleheader, sharing the spoils on day two as each team won a game. Game 1 went the way of the hosts, as a late comeback yielded a 7-4 win for Moravian. SU then came out in full force for game 2, riding an early offensive explosion to a 15-3 victory.

Game 1: Moravian 7, Susquehanna 4

Moravian put the first runs on the board in the bottom of the 2^nd inning, scoring twice after a lead-off walk gave way to back-to-back singles and a fielder's choice, putting the River Hawks on the back foot. SU was held hitless for the first three innings, but came up with a response in the top of the 4^th inning, rallying with two outs. Back-to-back walks were followed by a single up the middle by Thomas Romanelli, bringing home a run after an error by the second basemen allowed the runners to advance. With the lid finally off the in the hits category, SU came up with four more hits in the top of the 5^th, with Tyler Hmielewski hitting a one-out single before coming home to score on a Sean McCulloch double. Brock Veit followed with an RBI single to right center, giving Susquehanna the lead for the first time. Tony Rossi made it three hits in a row with a double down the right field line, giving SU runners on second and third with one out. Lance Book picked up an RBI on a groundout, doubling the lead before a pop out ended the inning.

The Greyhounds got one back on a solo home run in the bottom of the 5^th, but Susquehanna held on to their lead until the bottom of the 7^th, when a fielding error and a wild pitch helped to bring around the tying run for Moravian. With the score now 4-4 and the game once again up for the taking, Moravian seized momentum and scored three runs on five hits in the bottom of the 8^th inning, then getting a shutdown half-inning from their closer in the top of the 9^th to pick up the save and clinch the win for the Greyhounds.

Game 2: Susquehanna 15, Moravian 3

Clearly galvanized by the disappointing result in game 1, the River Hawks left no room for a comeback in game 2, hitting early and often while Teagan Duffie turned in a strong start on the mound. The top of the 1^st saw the River Hawks plate two runs on the back of two singles, three walks, and a sacrifice fly from Book. Eight batters came to the plate, but with the bases loaded, a fielder's choice ended the threat for more runs.

Moravian appeared to have plenty in the tank for a response at the start, beginning the bottom of the 1^st with a triple and then a double to score a run, but Duffie settled into the game after that, inducing a foul out and then striking out the next two batters. Still holding the one-run lead, Susquehanna would explode for seven runs in the top of the 2^nd, aided by a brutal five fielding errors in the inning for the Moravian defense. Errors put the first two runners on for SU, before Veit followed with an RBI single. Rossi then reached on an error that allowed another run to score and put Veit at third base, then swiped second base, setting up perfectly for J.P. Yore. The senior was up to the occasion, ripping a two-RBI single to center field to make the score 6-1. A pitching change for the Greyhounds did little to alleviate the struggles, as the new pitcher faced Book as his first batter and hit him with a pitch. Michael Mancuso then laid down an intended sacrifice bunt but reached first on yet another error, also seeing both Yore and Book come home. The last run of the inning came more traditionally, as Dylan Heyduk hit an RBI double to left field.

Moravian got one back in the bottom of the 2^nd, but the damage had been done. SU continued to light it up at the plate, scoring three more runs in the top of the 3^rd, two in the top of the 5^th, and one in the top of the 7^th. In all, they would tally 14 hits in the game, leading by as many as 13 runs in the top of the 7^th. The Greyhounds scored once more in the bottom of that inning to get the gap back to 12, but a comeback was well out of reach.

While plenty of players tallied hits, Heyduk was a standout, as both of his knocks were two-RBI doubles, giving him a career-high four in the game. He also reached base a third time on a walk. Rossi, Mancuso, Yore, and Michael Biuso joined him with two hits each, with Mancuso and Yore each getting three RBIs. Veit and Rossi would also each steal a bag, with the team's season total now at 78, the 8^th best in the country. Duffie picked up the win after 5.0 innings of work, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out four batters.

SU now has the second series win of their Landmark campaign, as they also bested Scranton 2-1 over a three-game series. They stand at 15-12 overall and 4-5 in the Landmark, holding sole possession of fourth place in the conference and the final playoff spot. Their next contests will see them back at home, with Lycoming College coming to town on Wednesday for an afternoon non-conference game, before Elizabethtown hits Selinsgrove for a weekend three-game series, another crucial Landmark tilt.

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--RIVER HAWKS--