By Andrew Porzio, Staff writer
The Susquehanna softball team pushed their record to 8-2 in conference play after they swept Elizabethtown College in a two game series on Saturday in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
The River Hawks, winners of nine of the last 12 games, came into the day with a 6-2 record in landmark conference play looking to clinch a playoff spot for the eighth year in a row.
In game one, senior pitcher Jamie Fesinstine threw a com- plete game, and struck out seven in the River Hawks 5-2 win.
In the second inning, with Susquehanna down 1-0, the River Hawks scored on a pair of singles by juniors short stop Heather Pearson and left fielder Leigh Ann Greenwald to take a 2-1 lead.
In the third inning, sophomore first baseman Jackie Gore hit a bomb over the fence for the only homerun of the day and extended Susquehanna’s lead to 3-1.
A Greenwald sacrifice fly and a single by junior third basemen Emilie Boman capped the scoring for the River Hawks in the fourth inning and pushed their lead to 5-1.
The Blue Jays would add a run in the bottom of the sixth inning, but it would not be enough as the River Hawks held on for the victory.
In game two the River Hawks scored in the first and the fifth innings for the only runs of the contest and would go on to win 2-0 to complete the sweep and clinch a spot in the Landmark Conference playoffs.
Boman went 2-3 with Greenwald and junior short stop Brooke Kohler scoring the two runs for Susquehanna.
Sophomore pitcher Alexa Gonzalez got the start on the mound for the River Hawks in game two. She gave up seven hits, a walk, and struck out one over 5 1/3 innings work. Fesinstine came out in relief to throw no-hit ball over the final 1 1/3 innings to earn the save and seal the 2-0 win for the River Hawks.
The save was Fesinstine’s third of the season and sixth of her career which breaks the school record for career saves set by alumna Morgan Lewis, who recorded five saves in her career.
On Wednesday, the River Hawks also split a two game series against Wilkes.
Susquehanna took home the first game 15-5, but dropped the second game 8-1.
Kohler and Boman combined for a perfect 7-for-7 at the plate.
In game one, the River Hawks led from the start and never looked back.
In the sixth inning, Kohler got an RBI, and then Boman drilled an RBI double down the right field line to score two more runs for the River Hawks. In the seventh, Susquehanna added five more runs.
In game two, the team only managed to get one run and five hits from five different players.
The River Hawks return home next weekend where they will face Drew in a Landmark Conference double header on April 29.