Softball Splits DH With Wilkes

Photo Courtesy of Susquehanna Athletics

By Marquis Frias, Assistant Sports Editor 

On Sunday, the softball team (13-18 Overall, 9-5 Landmark) hosted a Landmark Conference doubleheader against Wilkes (14-14 Overall, 8-6 Landmark). The Colonels took game one of the series by a score of 6-3, while Susquehanna’s five-run fifth inning in game two led to a 6-4 win.  

In game one, Bri Jones got the start on the mound for the River Hawks, but Wilkes would get on the board early in the top of the first after an error in the infield from the River Hawks led Wilkes’ Mia Butka to score the game’s first run.  

Butka would also get the start on the mound for the Colonels and would not let up a run until the bottom of the third inning, when Jones hit an RBI single scoring Olivia Murray to tie the game at 1-1. Wilkes would respond with four unanswered runs in the next two innings, including a three-run top of the fourth that featured a Hannah Boyd 2-run RBI single. 

Down by four runs, the River Hawks would cut the lead in the bottom of the sixth after Mya Morales’ sacrifice flyout scored a run. Wilkes would gain an insurance run in the top of the seventh with an RBI double from Kayla Burleson to make the score 6-2 heading to the final inning.  

Susquehanna wouldn’t go down without a fight, as senior Lexi Palumbo homered to right-centerfield, her first homerun of the season and sixth overall.  

It was a little bit too late for the River Hawks as Wilkes would put them away with three quick outs following Palumbo’s homerun. Jones finished the game 2-4 with two hits in the batter’s box and six strikeouts on the mound.  

The scoring in game two wouldn’t start until the top of the fourth, when Wilkes’ Kayla Burleson and Talia Piragas each hit an RBI single. Then in the top of the fifth, a Hana Cross triple to right field scored Hannah Boyd, and a Butka single to right field scored Cross. Down by five with a zero in the run column, the River Hawks would come roaring back in the bottom of the fifth scoring five runs.  

Alyssa Mayorca started the rally after hitting an RBI single that scored Jones, followed by a two-run RBI single by Emily Deitch. Hailey Kaba then tied the game with an RBI single down the right field line, and then the River Hawks took the lead after Amanda Amerman’s RBI single before scoring an insurance run in the next inning. SU’s Katelyn Dugery went 3-4 on the game with three hits and an RBI, with Palumbo and Kaba getting a pair of hits as well. 

The River Hawks will end their regular season with a doubleheader against Drew on Friday with the playoffs looming.