CLERMONT, FL (March 16, 2024) – The Susquehanna softball team completed their Spring Break trip to Florida with another split on Saturday, matching their results from each of their four other days of games with a win and a loss. They came up just short of a fantastic comeback in their first game, falling 9-8 against Trinity College (CT), then rebounding to claim a 6-3 victory over SUNY Brockport in their final game in Florida.
Game 1: Trinity College (CT) 9, Susquehanna University 8
The morning tilt yielded plenty of offense for both teams, as the squads combined for 21 hits. After starter Amanda Amerman got things going with a scoreless frame and a pair of strikeouts in the top of the 1st, the SU offense scored the first run on an RBI single from Katelyn Dugery, who brought Lexi Palumbo home after the junior hit a two-out double to keep the inning going.
The lead proved to be short-lived, as Trinity was able to load the bases on walks before hitting a grand slam to spring out to a 4-1 advantage. The bottom of the 2nd yielded a quick response for the River Hawks, as a lead-off walk by Zoe Bork and a single by Nicole Plesh lead to two RBIs for Nicole Wuertz, who hit a double to cut the lead down to one. Trinity pushed another run across in the 3rd on a sacrifice fly but saw a three-hit inning cut short on a fielder's choice with two runners left on base.
Susquehanna once again had an answer in the bottom of the frame, with a lead-off single from Palumbo followed by a walk to Dugery. A passed ball then moved the runners up to second and third with no outs. Bork would hit a sacrifice fly to right field to cut the gap back down to one, and a single from Hanna Roland gave SU runners on first and third, but they could not tie the game back up. Trinity then scored on a sacrifice fly of their own in the top of the 4th.
Susquehanna had a scoreless inning for the first time in the 4th, opening the door as Trinity scored three runs on a bases-clearing double in the 5th inning, stretching their lead out to five. After another scoreless frame for each squad, SU had a big inning of their own in the bottom of the 6th. After Bork led off with a walk, the River Hawks strung together four consecutive singles, scoring three runs before recording an out. They scored a fourth run on a sacrifice fly from Palumbo, making the score 9-8 before the inning ended.
Emily Deitch, who took the circle in the sixth, allowed just two hits and no runs, keeping Trinity quiet in the top of the 7th and giving Susquehanna an opportunity to tie or win in the bottom of the inning. However, Trinity put their own relief arm in for the inning and would strike out two batters and induce a flyout while allowing just one baserunner on a walk, cutting Susquehanna's comeback short. Palumbo, Plesh, Roland, and Wuertz would all finish the game with two hits, with Wuertz leading the team with three RBIs.
Game 2: Susquehanna University 6, SUNY Brockport 3
It was once again Susquehanna who got on the board first in the second game of the day. Both teams went scoreless in the 1st inning, but Katelyn Dugery would lead off the top of the 2nd with a solo shot, the sophomore's first career home run. After a pair of groundouts followed, a Roland single and a walk by Deitch gave Wuertz the chance to tally yet another RBI, hitting a two-out single to left field to score Roland and double the lead.
Brockport would get on the board and tie the game in the bottom of the 2nd with the help of two hits and a throwing error by SU. But the River Hawks got straight back to work in the top of the 3rd, restoring their two-run advantage with the help of four walks and a fielding error.
Both squads went scoreless in the 4th and 5th innings, but SU got another two-run frame in the 6th thanks to RBI singles by Stevie Shaak and Dugery. Shaak had a big day to continue her strong start to the season, going two for three at the plate and scoring a pair of runs to go with the RBI. The score remained 6-2 in Susquehanna's favor all the way to the bottom of the 7th, where starter Brianna Jones finished out her complete-game victory. Brockport would scratch one run across in the last inning but couldn't mount any further comeback. Jones got her third win of the season, allowing three runs on nine hits while striking out four batters.
Returning home with a 5-7 overall record, Susquehanna will now have a week to recharge before kicking off Landmark Conference play on Saturday, March 23 as they'll travel to Washington, DC to take on Catholic in a 1 and 3 pm doubleheader. The River Hawks will get their home opener the following Wednesday, hosting Penn State Altoona for a doubleheader at 3 and 5 pm.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
