SCRANTON, Pa. (April 25, 2015) – The Drew University softball team earned a split at The University of Scranton in the Landmark Conference finale on Saturday, falling 8-2 in Game 1 before bouncing back for a 5-2 victory in the nightcap.
 
The Rangers (9-25, 1-11) played the role of spoiler in Game 2 as the defeat of the Royals (16-14, 5-7) prevented them from making the Landmark Conference Championships. Sophomore starting pitcher Emma Agostini hurled a complete game, allowing just two runs in the victory with six hits and four walks while striking out four Royals.
 
Drew spread out an 11-hit attack in support of Agostini, as six different Rangers got a hit and four had multi-hit games. Senior first baseman Laura D'Ornellas led the way with a 3-for-4 mark at the dish with a run scored, while sophomore right fielder Phylicia Pellot drove in two runs and scored one on 2-for-3 batting. Senior catcher Rebecca Hutsebaut and freshman second baseman Danielle Martinez each went 2-for-4, while freshman designated player Kira Scarangella knocked in her third RBI in as many appearances for the Rangers.
 
Scranton scratched the early 2-0 lead in the first against Agostini, but that's all they would muster up against the sophomore starter over the remainder of the game. Meanwhile, the offense heated up in the fourth. D'Ornellas got the rally started with a single, followed by a Hutsebaut single. Scarangella made it 2-1 Royals with her run-scoring single. Two batters later, Pellot roped a single to score Scarangella and Hutsebaut for the 3-2 Drew advantage.
 
That would be all Agostini needed, but the Rangers added a bit of insurance in the top of the sixth. A single by sophomore shortstop Meghan McGuire, followed by three consecutive Scranton fielding errors, resulted in two more runs for the 5-2 lead. Agostini retired six of the final seven batters she faced, including a strikeout looking, to end the game and the Landmark Conference regular season.
 
In Game 1, the Rangers scored first on a wild pitch, but the Royals had a quick response with three runs in the home half of the opening inning. Pellot recorded a sacrifice fly in the second inning to cut the deficit to 3-2 before Scranton methodically built an 8-2 lead over the next five innings.
 
McGuire went 2-for-3 in the Game 1 loss.
 
The Rangers will wrap up the 2015 season this week with two non-conference doubleheaders, on Monday, April 27 at Centenary (N.J.) College at 3:00 p.m. and on Tuesday, April 28 at home against Yeshiva University at 4:00 p.m.