SELINSGROVE, PA (April 23, 2024) – Returning to Bollinger Field after a busy weekend that saw Susquehanna baseball take two wins from three games against Landmark foe Drew, the River Hawks took on a tough opponent in #22 Penn State Harrisburg. The vaunted Lions squad lived up to their ranking, beating SU 14-0 on Tuesday afternoon in the midweek non-conference bout.
Entering the day with a team batting average above .300, the Lions wasted no time in jumping out in front, scoring six runs in the first two innings. They did not look back from there, compiling 19 total hits. Despite the strong production, multiple SU relievers managed to put up some zero innings, with Kieran Dougherty tossing 2.2 innings, holding PSU-H off the board in the 3rd and 4th innings, ultimately seeing one unearned run score in the 5th while giving up just two hits and striking out three batters.
Christian Rossi entered next, tossing scoreless frames in the 6th and 7th, finishing with 3.0 innings pitched, three earned runs on four hits and a pair of strikeouts.
On offense, SU had seven total baserunners, with one hit, one hit by pitch, a pair of walks, and three runners reaching base on fielding errors. Jack Cahill would account for the only hit, coming up to the plate in his first at-bat in the bottom of the 2nd and ripping the first pitch down the left field line for a double. Sean McCulloch and Tony Rossi both drew walks in the bottom of the 6th, with McCulloch also stealing third base, his 31st steal of the season. That inning yielded the best opportunity for SU with runners on first and third, but they were unable to score in that frame. They knocked on the door again in the bottom of the 7th as Griffin Shenman and Michael Gagliardi reached on errors, but a strikeout ended the two-out threat.
Now looking ahead as they return to Landmark conference play for their next four games, the River Hawks will begin in less than 24 hours, as they'll travel to Huntingdon for the rubber match with Juniata College at 3:30 pm on Wednesday. With each team having taken a win at home in their previous two games this season, SU will look to claim the first away victory of the series as they jockey for seeding in the Landmark Tournament.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
