SELINSGROVE, PA (April 8, 2023) – The Susquehanna softball team faced Moravian at home on Saturday afternoon for a key Landmark Conference doubleheader, getting back to conference play after nearly two weeks of non-conference action. As has been the trend for the River Hawks, they ended up splitting the doubleheader, the sixth-straight split for the team. An outstanding pitching performance from Amanda Amerman guided them to a 2-1 win in game 1, before Moravian rebounded to take a 5-2 win in game 2.
Game 1: Susquehanna 2, Moravian 1
Remarkably, the decisive run came in the 1st inning of game 1, as two runs was all it took for the win. SU would get those runs with one swing of Meredith Pavlik's bat, as the first-year launched her conference-leading sixth home run of the year over the fence in right-center field, also scoring Hailey Kaba after she reached base on an error to start the frame.
From there, the teams traded zeros on the scoreboard as the two pitchers dueled, with Madi Cunningham also throwing well for the Greyhounds. Moravian managed to break the shutout in the top of the 4th with a two-out RBI single scoring a run after a double earlier in the inning. From there, neither team could muster much offense, with no runner reaching base until the top of the 6th and only three hits between the two teams in the last two innings. The Greyhounds got a late scoring opportunity in the bottom of the 7th, rallying with two outs to get runners on second and third, but a fly out to center field ended the game in Susquehanna's favor.
The River Hawks had five hits total in the game, two of which were Pavlik's. Kaba, Ashley Warner, and Zoe Bork would account for the other three. Amerman finished the complete game win allowing just the one run on seven hits while striking out three batters.
Game 2: Moravian 5, Susquehanna 2
This time it would be Moravian who would score two runs in the opening inning, getting straight to work with four hits and plating one run on a sacrifice fly before adding a second on an RBI single. The inning would end on a ground out with two runners still on base, but the Greyhounds had a lead they would ultimately never lose. They scored a third run in the top of the 2nd on an RBI double, but Susquehanna would respond in the bottom of the inning. Again, it was Pavlik coming up clutch and picking up two RBIs, this time on a double to the left field fence after Morgan Henry got on base with a one out single and Nicole Wuertz followed with a walk.
Once more, scoring was then quiet for two-straight innings, with hits few and far between. The Greyhounds put together another multi-hit inning in the top of the 5th, the last time either team would score or have more than one hit in an inning. They scored two more, restoring their three-run lead and holding onto it for the remainder of the afternoon. The River Hawks would get runners on base in the bottom of the 5th and 6th inning, but the scoring chances ultimately went by the wayside.
SU had eight hits in the game, with Lexi Palumbo picking up two as the only player with multiple. Kaba, Pavlik, and Warner picked up hits again, while Erin Bean, Kassidy Smith, and Morgan Henry also joined in.
The River Hawks are now 13-12 overall and 2-2 in the Landmark, with their next contests taking them on the road after six-straight games at home. They'll first visit Wilkes University on Wednesday afternoon for a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 3 pm. Then, they'll get back to Landmark play on Saturday, April 15 as they take on Elizabethtown for a doubleheader starting at 1 pm.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
