By Nick Forbes Asst. sports editor
The Susquehanna softball team fled the bitter cold and avoided the 20 inches of snow dumped on Pennsylvania by traveling to Florida as part of its 2017 spring training regiment.
The team played 10 games over the course of six days, winning eight, including a six game winning streak to kick off the trip.
On March. 12, the River Hawks found themselves in a 5-4 game with Arcadia entering the bottom of the seventh inning.
Arcadia freshman third baseman Mary Pat Murray took hold of sophomore Alexa Gonzalez’s pitch and drove it over the left-field wall to send the game to extra innings.
Susquehanna answered right back in the top of the eighth, when junior third baseman Emilie Boman scored on an Arcadia fielding error.
Gonzalez retired the side in the bottom of the eighth to earn the win in relief and got the River Hawks their first win of spring training.
In the next game that same day, Gonzalez pitched a full seven innings against SUNY Geneseo, striking out two while allowing seven hits.
Trailing 3-1 entering the bottom of the fifth, the bats exploded for Susquehanna.
After junior shortstop Brooke Kohler reached first on an error, Boman followed her up with a double. One batter later, senior designated hitter Lauren Creamer belted a double to right center, scoring Kohler.
Later in the inning, junior catcher Kelly Miller’s drove in two runs to give the River Hawks a 4-3 advantage. Another run in the sixth gave Susquehanna the 5-3 win.
The River Hawks concluded their trip to Florida on March 17, winning both games of their double header that day.
In the first game, Susquehanna shut out Endicott en route to a 3-0 victory. Senior Jamie Fesinstine earned the win on the mound.
In the second leg of the double header, Susquehanna defeated Fitchburg State 5-1. All five of the River Hawks’ runs came in the third inning. Again, it was Gonzalez who came away with the win.
After the snow storm forced the team to postpone several games, the River Hawks will be back in action on Thursday. March 30 when they will play two games against Dickinson.