SELINSGROVE, Pa. — Despite stumbling with splits in their MAC Commonwealth Conference home doubleheaders Saturday, both the Susquehanna University baseball and softball teams remain very much alive for the top two spots in their respective standings and a spot in the conference postseason. Each will take a big step towards their ultimate destiny next Monday as they return from the Easter recess to face critical conference road twinbills.
Now 10-10-1 overall, 6-4 and in sole possession of third in the Commonwealth Conference, the baseball team will actually move into a second-place tie and have the tiebreaker advantage once Messiah and Widener play the rained out second game of their Saturday doubleheader. Messiah won the opener (6-0) and moved into a tie for first with the Pioneers at 6-3. The Crusaders own a sweep over Messiah and split with Widener, giving them the tiebreaker with whatever team would move into that second-place tie.
Susquehanna will try and improve upon its conference standing next Monday during a 1 p.m. twinbill at last-place Albright (6-18, 2-10 MAC CC). Prior to those games, it hopes to tune-up with a pair of 3:30 p.m. non-conference games — playing at Capital Athletic Conference power York (16-13-1) Wednesday, and its home finale at the Selinsgrove Area High School Thursday against Freedom Conference contender Wilkes (18-11).
The Crusader softball team is now 14-9 overall, 7-5 and tied for third in the MAC Commonwealth Conference with Messiah — three games in the loss column behind Commonwealth leader Moravian (8-2), and two behind second-place Widener (5-3). The Greyhounds appear to be closing in on the Commonwealth crown, but could still falter with conference doubleheaders against both Albright (11-8, 2-4 MAC CC) and the Crusaders. Widener must still play three conference doubleheaders prior to the cutoff date of next Monday, April 24 — taking on Juniata (2-14, 0-10 MAC CC), Albright and Lebanon Valley (14-17, 6-6 MAC CC). That obviously leaves the door open for Susquehanna to earn its third-straight trip to the MAC Championship Tournament, although that would probably require it to sweep at Moravian in next Monday’s 1 p.m. conference finale, and get some help. The Crusaders have swept Moravian in each of the last two seasons.Prior to Monday’s critical twinbill, Susquehanna will tune-up for that encounter by playing 3 p.m. doubleheaders against the top two teams in the Freedom Conference — hosting second-place Wilkes (23-7) in Tuesday’s home finale, and at Freedom champion and regionally-ranked King’s (28-4) Thursday.
THE BASEBALL REPORT
Susquehanna and second-year coach Tim Briggs (26-23-1, .530) rebounded from a sweep at Lebanon Valley to go 2-1 over the rest of last week — winning a non-conference game against Scranton (11-2) at Lackawanna County Stadium last Thursday, before splitting a Commonwealth double with Moravian (8-12, 6-5) at home Saturday. Balls continue to fly over the short fences of the Selinsgrove Area High School Baseball Field, with the two teams now combining for 29 home runs (16 by Susquehanna, 13 by opponents) in the eight games played there this season. While the Crusaders have certainly enjoyed the boost in their power numbers at the plate, they have not enjoyed a decided “home field” advantage — going just 4-3-1 (.563). Susquehanna was forced to play its home games at the high school field because grass has not sufficiently grown in on the new Harold Bollinger Baseball Field behind West Hall.
Senior designated hitter/first baseman Chad Walters (Oley/Oley Valley H.S.) has continued his torrid season at the plate, now with a 14-game hitting streak which includes a 3-for-5 night in the Scranton game. Second in the Commonwealth Conference in batting, Walters has now upped his average to .449 average (22 for 49) — which would be the third-highest in school history once he gets to the 50 at-bat minimum. Walters also is tied for the team lead in doubles with six and ranked fourth in conference per-game average last week (now 0.35). He also has a .534 on-base percentage, which includes nine walks.
The top performance last week may have belonged to junior centerfielder Josh Pahl (Northumberland/ Shikellamy H.S.), who hit .462 (6 for 13) for the week with a double, home run three RBI and three runs scored — also fielding his six defensive chances cleanly. Pahl was 3-for-3 with his third home run of the year in last Saturday’s important second game victory over Moravian. He has now climbed his batting average to .356 (26 of 73) and is tied with Walters for the team double lead with six (0.29 per game). He is in a three-way tie for second on the squad in RBI with 15.
Junior second baseman Chris Knickerbocker (Hampden, Maine/Hampden Academy) also remained hot last week, hitting his third home run of the season in Saturday’s second game while going 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Knickerbocker is now batting .377 (23 of 61) with four doubles, 10 RBI and 15 runs scored. He leads the team in stolen bases with four in five attempts. After some early season fielding woes, Knickerbocker has also been more solid defensively in recent weeks.
Senior shortstop and starting pitcher Andy Berwager (Hanover/South Western H.S.) also had a big hand in Saturday’s Moravian win, pitching the complete game victory while surrendering just three earned runs — including no home runs. That win moved Berwager to 3-3 on the season, with a deceiving 5.48 earned run average. He leads the team in strikeouts with 37, ranking third in conference per-game average (now 7.24) as of last week. A two-time MAC Commonwealth All-Star shortstop, Berwager led-off Susquehanna’s first at-bat Saturday with his team high fifth home run of the season. After going without a home in his first 81 collegiate games, Berwager has now had five in nine games at Selinsgrove High. He leads the team in runs scored with 25, batting .354 (28 of 79) with two doubles and 12 RBI.
THE SOFTBALL REPORT
Susquehanna would be in the driver’s seat for the MAC Tournament had it not squandered leads late in four of its five losses — including Saturday’s 7-6 setback to Albright. Despite that loss, the Crusaders had a productive week under sixth-year head coach Vince Anselmo (111-79, .584) — winning four of five games.
The Crusader bats really came alive last week, particularly for three of their six freshmen starters in shortstop/first baseman Shana Lalo (Bethlehem/Northampton H.S.), rightfielder Christina Keister (West Milton/Lewisburg H.S.) and catcher Alli Ackerman (Morris Plains, N.J./Parsippany Hills H.S.).
Lalo hit .526 (10-for-19) for the week with a pair of doubles, five runs batted in and three runs scored. Defensively, she also had just one error in 32 total chances (.969 ) while helping to turn two double-plays. For the season, she leads the MAC Commonwealth Conference and team in hitting at .452 (33 of 73) with four doubles and 14 runs batted in. She has also walked nine times for a team best .512 on-base percentage, and is second in runs with 19.
Keister moved back into the starting lineup last week, rebounding from an arm injury, and made the most of it — batting .583 (7 for 12) with three doubles, five RBI and three runs scored. She hiked her average to .349 (15 of 43) with four doubles, a triple, a home run and 13 RBI, also scoring nine times. Keister is second on the team in slugging percentage at .558.
Ackerman hit .467 (7 for 15) last week with three doubles, five RBI and four runs scored. She is now second on the team in hitting at .365 (19 of 52) with six doubles, a home run and a team high 17 RBI. Ackerman ranks fourth in the Commonwealth Conference in RBI per game (0.74) and is tied for fifth in doubles (0.26). Defensively, she has also led Crusader catchers as they have thrown out 8 of 23 base stealers (.348).
Among the pitchers, junior right-hander Kristen Hogan (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury H.S.) won two of three games, but probably made more news in the game she lost. Hogan struckout nine Albright batters Saturday to break the 14-year-old school record for career strikeouts (Old Record: 323, Judy Sholtis, 1983-86) — adding three more Sunday at Lebanon Valley for 327 in her career. Hogan is second in the conference in strikeouts per game this season with 93 in 92 innings (7.07), and is fourth in wins with a 9-5 record and 2.74 ERA.
