SELINSGROVE, PA - Susquehanna Baseball saw an early 3-0 lead get away after Juniata put up four runs in the top of the fourth. The River Hawks quickly righted the ship and kept sailing on after a six-run bottom of the fourth towards a 12-6 victory. Susquehanna picked up its 20th win of the season at 20-11, while most importantly taking the season series from the Eagles to run their win streak to seven and an 11-5 Landmark record.
HOW IT WENT DOWN
- Susquehanna got three runs right off the bat in the bottom of the first thanks to the top three in the lineup getting on base in Michael Girardi, Dylan Heyduk and Michael Gagliardi. Girardi scored on a passed ball, after which Paul Daly brought home Heyduk on a sacrifice fly and finally a Lucas Zachesky RBI single.
- Dane Rue took the mound to start the game for Susquehanna, holding Juniata hitless through the first three innings.
- The Eagles' second turn around the lineup paid off as they scored four in the top of the fourth. A few miscues opened the door for Juniata to score, though Matthew Koehler pushed across the go-ahead runs in earnest with a bases-loaded, two-RBI single to go up 4-3.
- With Juniata threatening still with one out, Tommy Kowaliwskyj came on in relief. He got his first batter to ground into a double play to end the inning trailing by one run.
- The bottom of the fourth saw the Eagles use their third pitcher of the game after Susquehanna's three-run first ousted starter Aidan Chermol. Landen Eichhorn came on to pitch in place of Time Coleman and appeared to start off alright getting out number one on his first batter, but an ensuing fielding error got Gagliardi on base to begin a busy frame for Susquehanna.
- Susquehanna loaded the bases, setting up third baseman Luke Goodwin to draw a walk to bring home the tying run.
- Catcher CJ Orrego, fresh off his walkoff heroics from Sunday's game against Drew, did his part to break the game open with a three-RBI triple. He came on home himself on a wild pitch, then Girardi made it a 9-4 game with an RBI double.
- Daly came to bat in the bottom of the fifth, continuing his renaissance second half to the season with his sixth home run of the campaign, a solo shot to right center, to make it 10-4. It marked his third homer in less than a week.
- Juniata picked up a run in the sixth, after which Brayden McCourt came on in relief of "Tommy K". With Juniata threatening McCourt escaped further damage getting the Eagles to fly out twice to end the inning.
- The top of the River Hawks lineup came to bat in the sixth, once again loading the bases to set up Andrew Haussman drawing a bases-loaded walk. Daly then offered his third RBI of the day with another sacrifice fly to score Girardi and take a 12-5 lead.
- The game moved briskly through the next three innings as a handful of River Hawks took the field in perhaps one of their last home games at Bollinger Field this season. This included seniors Jack Cahill, Owen Ayers, Rob Cangelosi and Vito Demonte.
- Nate Fronheiser pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings for the River Hawks, while Caden Breault pitched the ninth. Breault overcame Juniata scoring a run by striking out Matthew Quigly swinging to end the game.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Orrego and Daly each had three RBIs on the day, with Orrego's coming on one swing of the bat in a 2-for-3 day and Daly using three. His solo home run highlighted a 1-for-2 day in which he also scored two runs.
- Girardi batted 2-for-3 with one double, one RBI and one walk as Susquehanna's one other multi-hit batter Tuesday. He also stole two bases.
- Haussman, Goodwin, Gagliardi and Lincoln Hower each had one hit to account for the rest of SU's 11 hits on the day. Goodwin and Hower each had doubles.
- Heyduk drew one walk, moving his career total up to 105 bases on balls, four away from former teammate Tony Rossi's career record of 109.
- Kowaliwskyj earned the win, improving to 3-0 on the season as he allowed just two hits with one strikeout in two innings of work.
- Rue had three strikeouts, while allowing two hits and two earned runs. Breault's game-ending strikeout marked the fifth and final K from Susquehanna's pitching staff.
UP NEXT FOR THE RIVER HAWKS
- The River Hawks take their seven-game win streak on the road to Elizabethtown this weekend for another pivotal Landmark Conference series. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 12 p.m., as will the standalone game Sunday.
- Susquehanna is currently tied for second place with Scranton in the Landmark standings, with their series set for April 25-26 in the Electric City. Wilkes is above both of them in first place with a 12-3 league mark.
