WILKES-BARRE, PA - Susquehanna softball split their final double header series of the year with Wilkes on Saturday. The River Hawks took a 5-2 victory in game one, and Wilkes followed that with a 6-5 win in the nightcap. Susquehanna finished the 2026 regular season with a 14-23 overall record and a 8-8 record in conference play, good for the fourth seed in the Landmark Conference playoffs.
GAME ONE: SUSQUEHANNA 5, WILKES 2
- Wilkes got the game's first two runs in the first, off a pair of RBI singles from Maddy Maloney and Olivia Dougherty.
- Susquehanna starting pitcher Brianna Jones settled in immediately after, striking out ten batters and shutting out the Colonels the rest of the way.
- This set the stage for the River Hawks bats to come to life in the later innings. Still trailing 2-0 in the fifth, Sydney Perez tied the game with one swing of the bat, a mighty one to left field for a two-run homer.
- Alyssa Mayorca put SU ahead in the sixth with an RBI double to score Stevie Shaak. Katelyn Dugery followed this up with her fourth home run of the season and second in less than a week. Her two-run shot gave Susquehanna some much-needed insurance runs entering the bottom half of the seventh ahead 5-2.
- After allowing a leadoff walk, Jones retired the next three batters, including the last of her ten strikeouts.
- The River Hawks reeled off 11 hits, with Shaak leading with three in a 3-for-4 day with one double.
- Mayorca had two doubles on the day in a 2-for-3 day with one RBI.
- Jones, Perez and Dugery each had two hits, with Jones adding a double, while Perez and Dugery had homers.
GAME TWO: WILKES 6, SUSQUEHANNA 5
- Wilkes repeated their success in the first inning, doubling their run total in game one with four runs in the bottom of the first. The River Hawks allowed four hits in the inning while also committing an error. The Colonels added another run in the bottom of the fifth to take a commanding 5-0 lead.
- Susquehanna's response came in the top of the third with a lone run after some crafty base running from Isabella Sulesky. Sulesky then came up big again in the very next inning with a two RBI single to make the score 5-3.
- The close contest remained until the bottom of the sixth, where Wilkes was able to gain an insurance run to extend their lead 6-3. Susquehanna would have to score three or more in the top of the seventh to extend the game. The River Hawks initially seemed up to the challenge, as they were able to get two runs with two outs away in the inning. Wilkes ultimately slammed the door after a fly out to secure the 6-5 win in game two.
- Both teams reached double digit totals in hits in game two, with Wilkes taking the advantage over Susquehanna 11 hits to 10. The offensive effort was led by Jones in game two with a 2-4 outing at the plate including a run scored.
UP NEXT FOR THE RIVER HAWKS
- The No. 4 seed River Hawks are set for a rematch against No.5 Wilkes in the first round of the Landmark Conference playoffs on Tuesday, May 5 at 4:00 p.m. in Selinsgrove from Sassafras Field.
