Photo Courtesy of Dustin Waleff
By Dustin Waleff, Sports Editor
Top seeded and nationally ranked Moravian College proved too much for Susquehanna softball, as the Greyhounds took down the River Hawks twice at the double elimination Bethlehem pod site in the Landmark conference tournament, over the weekend of May 8 and 9.
Susquehanna entered the Bethlehem pod as the fifth seed in the Landmark tournament, opening first round action against sixth seeded Juniata.
The River Hawks got a strong outing from junior pitcher Katie Murphy who threw a complete game, limiting the Eagles to three hits, while the offense was opportunistic with their chances.
Susquehanna struck first on the bat of freshman infielder Zoe Bork, who ripped one down the right field line to make the Eagles pay for the throwing error two batters earlier and put the River Hawks on top 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning. Junior third baseman Kiara Bryant led off the inning drawing a walk before sophomore utility player Morgan Henry hit a grounder to shortstop Maggie Peck, whose throw to second went awry.
The River Hawks added to the lead in the bottom of the third. Following a lead off single by freshman outfielder Nicole Plesh and a sacrifice bunt by junior second baseman Erin Bean, junior catcher Katie Koch drove the pitch to left field, which plated Plesh, to extend the lead to 3-0.
Juniata got their only run of the ballgame in the top of the fourth as catcher Maya McLeod took the Murphy delivery and belted it out of the park to left field.
Henry provided an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth, doubling to right centerfield, scoring sophomore first baseman Ashley Warner, after Warner doubled down the left field line two batters earlier.
That was all the run support that Murphy needed, as she set down six of the final eight batters she faced, to pick up the victory.
In the win, Susquehanna tallied seven hits as a team, with Plesh leading the way collecting two.
Following the win, Susquehanna matched up with Moravian, in the Greyhounds’ first action of the pod.
Susquehanna was able to get baserunners against the fourth ranked Greyhounds but struggled to string the hits together to bring those runners home, while Moravian pitcher Madison Hummel went the distance in collecting the victory in a complete game performance.
Senior outfielder Kody Streeter said, “So hitting runners in was something we definitely struggled with this season and I honestly think in this shortened season we didn’t have the time to fully figure out how to solve that.”
The River Hawks got started quickly, loading the bases in the top of the first, but were unable to put anything on the board, as Bork grounded out to end the inning.
Susquehanna was busy again offensively in the second inning, as Streeter got the inning started by being hit by the pitch, the only one by Hummel.
With Streeter on first, freshman infielder Nicole Wuertz reached on a bunt single, to put two on base with no one out. Plesh then reached on a fielder’s choice as Streeter would be retired at third, moving Wuertz up to second base. Two batters later, Koch ripped one to left field, scoring Wuertz, while Plesh got caught in the rundown, before being tagged out to end the inning.
That was all the offense for Susquehanna, as the Moravian bats woke up starting in the bottom of the third.
The starting pitcher for the River Hawks was senior Gabby Bubba who started strong, retiring six of the first seven batters she faced.
Left fielder Maura Kane got things started for the Greyhounds in the third, reached on an infield single. Kane would reach second on the sacrifice bunt by center fielder Cameron Cassidy, before being driven home by the single from shortstop Alexis Agrapides, to knot the score up at one after three innings.
Moravian blew the game open in the fourth inning, jumping out to a 5-1 lead. Designated hitter Emily Silberman gave the Greyhounds the lead as she rifled a single down the left field line scoring first baseman Alexandria Scheeler. Three batters later, Agrapides singled to right field, collecting two more RBIs, and scoring Cassidy and third baseman Maddisen Bieber. Up 4-1, right fielder Victoria Smith singled through the left side, scoring Agrapides, before being tagged out trying to go to second, to end the fourth.
Moravian’s four-run outburst ended the day for Bubba who was replaced by junior pitcher Kody Dillon for the bottom of the fifth.
However, in the top half of the fifth, the River Hawks put some pressure on Hummel by loading the bases with two outs, but senior pinch hitter Michelle Principe grounded out to extinguish the threat.
After Dillon struck out catcher Brooke Wehr, back-to-back singles by second baseman Shannon Brogan and Scheeler set the stage for Silberman to drive the Dillon pitch over the left centerfield wall to extend the lead to 8-1.
Susquehanna went down in order in the top of the sixth, meaning Moravian was one run away from invoking the run rule.
After getting the leadoff batter to groundout, Wehr doubled to left field, which was followed up by a Brogan single, putting runners on the corner with one away. Scheeler stepped into the box and lifted one to center which was deep enough for Wehr to tag and score to end the game.
Bubba was credited with the loss, as Susquehanna had to take on Juniata for a second time on the day in an elimination game.
With the River Hawks one game away from elimination, Susquehanna returned to its ace in Bubba for the second matchup against Juniata.
Neither team was able to generate much offense until the River Hawk bats awoke in the home half of the fourth inning.
The first four River Hawks batters reached base with Warner opening the frame with a single through the left side before Bryant followed with a single herself. Freshman pinch hitter Rachel Lorence drew a walk to load the bases for Bork, who grounded one to second base, as Warner scored, and everyone was safe.
After the ice breaker Streeter ripped a single to right center, scoring Bryant from third, and keeping the bases loaded. Wuertz then hit a fly ball to center fielder Reagan Goldsmith, which was deep enough to score Lorence and extend the lead to three.
Following a Plesh flyout, back-to-back singles by Bean and Koch pushed lead to five, before Warner got her second hit of the inning, rifling a triple down the left field line, scoring both Koch and Bean, giving the River Hawks a 7-0 lead heading into the fifth inning.
That was all the damage Susquehanna did, but it was more than enough for the tandem of Bubba and Murphy to shut down Juniata.
Bubba recorded a bounce back performance, holding the Eagles to five hits over six innings of work and striking out three, with Murphy closing out the game with a perfect inning of work in the seventh, collecting one strikeout.
With the win Susquehanna punched their ticket to the semifinals where they needed to take down Moravian twice to secure a spot in the Landmark conference championship series.
The second meeting against the Greyhounds proved to be much like the first. Susquehanna jumped out early to take the lead, but Moravian would battle back, with the River Hawks unable to take their chances with runners on base.
“I think at the end we were just starting to learn each other and how to play together. With the amount of games we played, we would have only been halfway through a regular season. If given more time I think we could have really done a lot of damage. We have the talent and the heart, and we were just starting to pick up speed right as our season ended,” Streeter said.
In the top of the first, the River Hawks got straight to work. After a flyout by Bean led off the game, Koch worked a walk, before two batters later, Bryant collected her third home run of the season driving the Meghan Bauer pitch over the left field wall, giving Susquehanna an early 2-0 lead.
Moravian got themselves on the board in the bottom half of the second. After the first two batters were retired by Bubba, Bieber doubled down the left field line, scoring as the next hitter, Kane, singled up the middle to cut the River Hawk lead in half.
The Greyhound bats came alive in the third inning to blow the game open to move Moravian in front. A leadoff single from Agrapides, a sacrifice bunt, and back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Scheeler. Scheeler then roped a single to right field, scoring Agrapides and Wehr, who walked. With two on and one out, Silberman beat out an infield single to reload the bases. Bieber then collected an RBI herself, as she singled to the right side, which ended the night for Bubba, who was replaced by Murphy.
Murphy struggled early, walking the first batter she faced, allowing another Greyhound run to come across, before throwing a wild pitch, and giving up another run. Murphy got Cassidy to strike out, then walked Agrapides to fill the bases. With the bases loaded, Smith lined a single up the middle bringing in Kane and Bieber, extending the lead to six, 8-2.
Susquehanna looked to get some momentum back as they got multiple runners on base in both the fourth and fifth innings, but once again were unable to do anything to bring the runners home.
“Softball is a very high pressure sport, everyone is watching you all alone in the batters box and when runners are on, no matter how many outs and no matter the score, it can get stressful. Softball is also just a game of luck and good timing, and we were never able to get those perfectly timed and placed hits we needed at certain moments unlike other teams. We always tried to learn from it and keep our chins up and it made us improve as a team each day. I think without those tough loses we would not be as strong as we are right now,” Warner said.
Down 8-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Murphy retired the first two batters, before issuing a walk to Agrapides. Back-to-back singles from Smith and Wehr loaded the bases, when Murphy had to exit the game with an apparent injury, allowing Bubba to return to the circle.
On Bubba’s first pitch back in the circle, Brogan singled up the gut, allowing both Agrapides and Smith to score, invoking the run rule again and eliminating the River Hawks from the tournament and ending their season.
With the two losses to Moravian, Susquehanna finished the season 8-14, bowing out in the Landmark conference semifinals.
“We are going to be a threat next year and although the season did not end how we wanted it to, we should be a top contender for next season. So for preparation in the off-season workouts and practices, we are going all in. We have the goal for next year and now know what it takes to get there,” Bean said.
Following the semifinals, the Landmark conference announced the softball all-conference teams, with two River Hawks finding their names on the list. Both Bean and Warner were named to the Landmark Conference Softball All-Conference Team.
Warner said: “It was an honor to be selected as second team all conference, and it just proves that hard work and determination does pay off. I’m also just grateful for the support system I have had my whole life. Between my family, friends, and coaches past and present I would not be the player or person I am without them and I am thankful for that everyday. I am also thankful for the team I had this year because without their continuous support and positivity throughout everyday I would have never been able to accomplish this.”
