SELINSGROVE, PA - Susquehanna softball honored their three seniors- Zoe Bork, Nicole Plesh, and Nicole Wuertz- on Saturday in a doubleheader sweep over Scranton. Brianna Jones picked up two wins on the day, one a complete game shutout and another out of the bullpen.

Game 1: Susquehanna 9, Scranton 0

Susquehanna utilized strong play on both sides of the ball to claim a run-ruled 9-0 victory in game 1, which started at 1 PM.

Both pitchers faced the minimum in the first two innings, but the River Hawks got on the board in the bottom of the third and scored in every inning onward, pushing across the first of nine scores in the inning after Wuertz walked and stole second before Jones brought her home with a single to the opposite field.

Hannah Roland began a two-out rally in the bottom half of the fourth, knocking a clean base hit to right before stealing second. Plesh picked up an RBI with a base hit immediately after, advancing to second on the throw before coming home to score on an RBI single off the bat of Katelyn Dugery.

The River Hawks batted around in the fifth, seeing ten batters come to the plate and four of them score. Stevie Shaak started the rally with a walk and Jones moved her to second with a sacrifice bunt.

Shaak then advanced to third on a wild pitch as Emily Deitch walked and advanced to second. The next batter, shortstop Lexi Palumbo, singled home Shaak with a ground ball up the middle, then advanced on the throw as Deitch was held at third.

Bork recorded the third consecutive single, going the opposite way for a hit and advancing to second on the throw as Deitch came home to score. A wild pitch saw Bork move over to third as Palumbo scored. Roland brought home Bork moments later, singling to center before stealing second and third, although she was stranded there after stealing three bases on the day.

The River Hawks applied the eight-run rule in the bottom of the sixth, with a Roland fly ball dropping in shallow left center to score Bork and Deitch.

Jones collected her seventh win of the year, allowing just three hits, striking out four while not surrendering a walk.

Game 2: Susquehanna 7, Scranton 5

The River Hawks were put to the test, trailing twice in the second game as they honored Autism Awareness Month prior to first pitch.

After a leadoff triple and an RBI single to follow, Scranton took the lead in the third inning off starter Amanda Amerman, who worked 5.1 innings while striking out a career-high seven batters.

However, the lead would be short-lived, as after a leadoff single by outfielder Hailey Kaba, she stole second then came all the way around to score on an errant throw by the Scranton catcher. 

The River Hawks would again score in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, pushing across a run on an RBI double from Wuertz that scored Olivia Murray, who pinch-ran for Ashleigh Gerber after she singled to right.

Deitch led off the fifth with a walk, then came around to score moments later on a long home run to right center off the bat of Palumbo to make the score 4-1.

A four-run inning for the Royals followed as they compiled their runs on four hits and an error, forcing Caressa DeRossett to make a pitching change to summon Jones, and an RBI triple gave the Royals their second lead of the game.

The River Hawks wouldn't go down without a fight, however, scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Back-to-back doubles by Gerber and Wuertz tied the game, then Jones singled home Wuertz to give the hosts the lead. Jones stole second then scored after tagging up and advancing to third on a Deitch flyout, then coming home to score after the ball escaped the third baseman.

It was a short seventh inning, with Jones retiring three Scranton batters in order to complete the sweep. Jones picked up her second win of the day and eighth of the season in the process.

The River Hawks will be in action again on Wednesday, taking on Stevenson University in a doubleheader at 3 PM and 5 PM. They improve to 11-15 on the season and 4-6 in the Landmark Conference.