game one game two
Susquehanna used big innings to take a pair of games from the Wilkes University softball team, winning the first game 8-4 before taking the second 7-1. A six-run sixth inning and a four-run fourth for the Crusaders would be the difference in both games.
In the first game, Susquehanna struck first with a run in the top of the first inning on an RBI single by Kelli Holota driving in Lisa Finizio, who led off the game with an infield single.
The Crusaders would hold on to the lead until the Lady Colonels busted out for four runs off three hits in the second inning. Wilkes loaded the bases with one out before
Kathy Dalton (Neptune, N.J./St. Rose) picked up an RBI single to left field scoring
Alyssa Ciesla (Branchville, N.J./High Point) who reached on a fielder's choice. Designated player
Gina Stefanelli (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Meyers) followed with a base-clearing double to left center, giving the Lady Colonels a commanding 4-1 advantage. She leads the team with eight doubles and 23 runs batted in.
Susquehanna cut the lead in half with a run in the top of the fifth on another RBI single by Holota before they would explode for six runs in the following inning. The Crusaders picked up six of their 13 hits in the game in the sixth which included a pair of doubles.
The Lady Colonels struggled defensively committing five errors in the game including two in the sixth.
Colleen Labor (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) went 3-for-3 with a run scored while
Gina Stefanelli (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Meyers) was 2-for-3 with three runs batted in. All but two batters that went to the plate for Wilkes picked up a hit while starter
Lindsay Behrenshausen (Mt. Holly Springs/Boiling Springs) picked up nine strikeouts in the contest.
Like the first game, the Crusaders opened with a single run in the top of the first before Wilkes matched it with a run in the second.
MeLisa Bracone (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem East) led off the inning with a double to right center before
Kerry Finnerty (Old Forge, Pa./Old Forge) drove her in with a single to left. It would be the last run they would score the rest of the way as Bryn Whitemire and Kim Rubino held the Lady Colonels to just four hits the rest of the way.
Susquehanna pounded out four hits in the fourth inning that led to four runs, including a two-run double by Kate Reese. The Crusaders would tack on two more insurance runs in the sixth inning giving them their 16th win of the season.
The losses dropped the Lady Colonels to 13-15 overall and will remain at home as they face Manhattanville on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
