By Justus Sturtevant, Contributing writer
The Susquehanna softball team swept non-conference foe Wilkes 7-1 and 9-1 on Tuesday, April 17 at Sassafras Field in Selinsgrove.
Senior second baseman Heather Pearson led the way for the River Hawks, going 5-7 on the day with three runs and five RBIs.
Senior third baseman Emilie Boman also had a strong performance on the day, going 4-5 including 3-3 with a double and two RBIs in game one.
On the mound, junior Alexa Gonzalez picked up her tenth win of the season with a complete-game, one run performance in game one. Gonzalez had three strikeouts.
Susquehanna scored early and often in game one, putting three runs on the board in the bottom of the first and adding three more in the second.
Pearson sparked the first inning rally with a single to center field. Senior shortstop Brooke Kohler pushed Pearson to second with a sacrifice bunt.
Boman singled before a Wilkes throwing error allowed two runs to score for Susquehanna.
The River Hawks pushed one more run across the plate to take a 3-0 lead.
Wilkes scored in the top of the second inning to cut the deficit to two runs, but Susquehanna responded with three more runs in the bottom of the inning.
The River Hawks added one run in each of the subsequent innings to claim a 9-1 victory.
In game two, freshman pitcher Brooke Wiarda nearly pitched a complete-game shutout until Wilkes sophomore Haley Welker smashed a home run in the sixth inning.
Susquehanna jumped out to a two-run lead in the second inning of the game.
Senior designated hitter McKayla Brady walked to lead off the inning. After a sacrifice bunt moved Brady to second, the River Hawks loaded the bases with a walk and a batter hit by pitch.
Two hitters later, freshman Brittany Hebda, who came into the game as a pinch-hitter, walked to bring home the first run of the game.
Pearson singled home another run in the inning to give the River Hawks a 2-0 advantage going into the third inning.
Susquehanna added to the lead in the fourth inning, with Pearson again delivering with runners on base.
Brady drove home two more runs with a single to right field to give the River Hawks a 5-0 lead, which was more than enough for Wiarda. The freshman surrendered just four hits over seven innings.
Susquehanna scored two more runs in the fifth inning to build a 7-0 lead.
Again, it was Pearson coming through for the River Hawks, with a two run double to the gap in right-center.
Wilkes ended Wiarda’s shutout in the sixth inning, when sophomore left fielder Haley Walker drove a solo home run to right field with two outs in the inning.
The wins improved Susquehanna to 21-9 overall and 5-3 in the Landmark Conference. The River Hawks also extended their current win streak to eight games with the victories.
Susquehanna remains in third place in the Landmark Conference standings. Moravian leads the conference with a 21-3 record and a 10-0 mark in Landmark play.