SELINSGROVE, Pa. — Both the Susquehanna University baseball and softball teams took big steps at contending for their MAC Commonwealth Conference championships last week, although each faces pivotal conference contests again this week.
The Crusader baseball team is now in sole possession of first place in the MAC Commonwealth Conference (8-7-1 overall, 5-1 in MAC CC) and has the week off before playing four road games in three days. They start the “road trip” with a conference twinbill at Lebanon Valley (6-11, 2-4 MAC CC) Saturday at 1 p.m., before stepping up to play NCAA Division II competition both Sunday and Monday with single games at both Lock Haven (16-8) and Bloomsburg (9-17) respectively.
The softball team is just a game out of first in the conference (9-6 overall, 4-2 in MAC CC) and will try and improve upon that standing this week while playing a pair of MAC Commonwealth twinbills. The Crusaders host Elizabethtown (7-7, 3-3 MAC CC) Tuesday in a 2:30 p.m. double, and play two at Lebanon Valley (13-10, 5-3 MAC CC) Saturday at 1. In between, Susquehanna will step out of the conference Thursday with a rare 5 p.m. twinbill, which will finish under the lights at Dickinson (7-7).
THE BASEBALL REPORT
Susquehanna scored the dramatic sweep Saturday over Messiah, handing the Falcons their first blemishes in MAC Commonwealth Conference play while ending their nine-game winning streak. In the process, second-year head coach Tim Briggs (24-20-1, .544) and his Crusaders took a one-game conference lead while ending their six-game homestand at the Selinsgrove Area High School Field with a 3-2-1 record. With the MAC teams back to using metal bats and the Selinsgrove High facility having a short outfield fence, the six games certainly produced offense — with the two teams combining for 114 runs (19 per game) and 23 home runs (12 by Susquehanna, 11 by opponents). The Crusader batters took advantage of the “hitter’s park” — now averaging 7.8 runs per game while batting .329 as a team.
Junior centerfielder Josh Pahl (Northumberland/Shikellamy H.S.) completed the Messiah sweep in dramatic fashion — hitting the two-out, two-run, game-winning home run in the seventh inning of the nightcap off a 3-2 fastball. The homer was both the second of his collegiate career, and the second in as many days for Pahl — who was 4 for 8 in the doubleheader. He batted .375 (6 for 16) in last week’s six games — scoring five runs and knocking in five more. The big week moved Pahl back above .300 for the season, now hitting .309 (17 for 55) with three doubles, two homers and 11 RBI. He has started all 16 games in centerfield and has made just one error in 35 total fielding chances for a .971 percentage.
Senior shortstop Andy Berwager (Hanover/South Western High School) also had a big hand in the Saturday sweep — setting what is believed to be the school record for home runs in a game with three in the opener, and then pitching the complete-game five-hitter for the win in the nightcap. Berwager had not hit a home run in his first 81 games collegiately, but had four in just four games last week to take over the team lead. He was 4 for 5 with four runs and four RBI in Saturday’s opener.
The lead-off hitter is tied for the team lead in runs scored with 21, and also has a pair of doubles for 10 RBI. Defensively, he’s been solid at short with just four errors in 69 chances for a .942 fielding clip. He’s the ace of the pitching staff and improved to 2-2, with the short field inflating his earned run average to 6.06. Berwager leads the team in strikeouts with 28 in 32 2/3 innings (7.71 per game).
Fellow senior and starting rightfielder Denny Bowers (Westminster, Md./Westminster H.S.) also had a big week as he pulled his average well over .300 after slumping some in Florida. Bowers was 8 for 17 (.471) last week — hitting his first home run of the season while knocking in eight runs and scoring five. His home run was a three-run shot which allowed the Crusaders to take their first lead in Saturday’s opener, after falling behind by seven runs in the first. The clean-up hitter has done his job well with a team high 18 RBI, now batting .362 (21 of 58) with 10 runs scored. Bowers is fourth on the program’s career batting average list (.374), ranking fifth in on-base percentage (.465) and 10th in slugging clip (.510).
The leader among the regulars in hitting this season is senior designated hitter Chad Walters (Oley/Oley Valley H.S.), who is now batting .412 (14 for 34) with a team best five doubles to go along with his seven RBI and six runs scored. Also tied for second on the team in walks with eight, he also leads the regulars in on-base percentage at .524. He went 3 for 3 with an RBI double vs. King’s last Friday, and played at first for the first time this season in the nightcap vs. Messiah, due to a hamstring pull by junior regular Lyle Hosler (Lititz/Manheim Township H.S.).
Junior second baseman Chris Knickerbocker (Hamden, Maine/Hamden Academy) has also been hot since the team began playing at Selinsgrove High — going 7 for 16 (.438) last week with four runs scored while hitting his second home run in a week. He began the Crusader scoring in Saturday’s nightcap with a solo shot. Knickerbocker is now batting .326 (15 for 46) with three doubles, a pair of homers, six RBI and 10 runs scored.
In addition to Berwager, the pitching staff got its top performances last week from junior right-hander Lee Rogers (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry H.S.). Rogers gave up just one earned run in his 10 1/3 innings last week, striking out 14 in the process. He deserved his first Susquehanna win vs. Misericordia, pitching a three-hitter over the first seven innings while his team took a 5-1 lead. Rogers leads the regular pitchers in ERA at 1.66, also ranking first on the staff in strikeouts per nine innings with 22 in 21 2/3 (9.14).
THE SOFTBALL REPORT
This may be the best offensive team ever under sixth-year head coach Vince Anselmo (106-76, .582), who saw his team roll up 45 runs in the four games (11.3 per game) last week. The big numbers have upped the team batting average to .329, while averaging 8.3 runs per contest.
Sophomore Chrissy Falcone (Mt. Bethel/Bangor H.S.) has led the effort since returning to the lineup a week ago. She batted .428 (6 for 14) last week with a home run, four runs scored and six runs batted in — also picking up her second win as a pitcher with the complete-game three-hitter at Juniata last Wednesday. Falcone is now second on the team in batting at .381 (8 for 21) with a double, triple and home run — tying for the team RBI lead with 10 in just 11 games (0.90). She is now 2-3 as a pitcher with a 6.70 earned run average.
Senior right-hander Katy Alwine (Bethel Park/Bethel Park H.S.) also picked up her first win, or decision of any kind, this season — throwing the complete-game, eight-hitter in the second game at Messiah Saturday. Alwine has thrown in seven games and 20 1/3 innings this season, but is now just 1-0 with a staff low ERA of 2.07. A two-time MAC Commonwealth All-Star pitcher, the win gives Alwine the best winning percentage in program history at 28-11 (.718). She also has the second-lowest career ERA (1.50), is third in strikeouts (187) and fourth in wins (28).
Alwine and Falcone’s battery-mate also broke out at Messiah as freshman catcher Alli Ackerman (Morris Plains, N.J./Parsippany Hills H.S.) was 4 for 6 with five RBI in the twinbill — going 3 for 3 with her first collegiate home run on a two-run shot to break open the six-run third inning. Ackerman raised her rookie average to .273 (9 for 33) and is also tied for the team RBI lead with 10. She also has a .953 fielding percentage behind the plate — throwing out 6 of 17 base stealers.
Freshman shortstop Shana Lalo (Bethlehem/Northampton H.S.) continues to lead the team offensively with a .422 batting average, although she saw her 12-game hit streak end in the nightcap at Juniata last week. The clean-up hitter still had her first two extra-base hits collegiately last week with a pair of doubles. She is also tied for the RBI lead with 10.
Senior captain Lisa Stack (Swoyersville/Wyoming Valley West H.S.) has alternated between first and leftfield and has been a steady leader of the team, batting .348 (16 of 46) with two doubles, a triple and a team high 15 runs scored. She is fourth all-time at the school in both runs (87) and at-bats (364), ranking sixth in hits (103) and triples (7).
