MADISON, N.J. – The Drew University softball team concluded its 2018 season with a doubleheader against Susquehanna on Saturday afternoon. After taking the opening contest by a 3-1 count, the River Hawks (26-10, 9-3 Landmark) shut out the Rangers (10-25, 1-11 Landmark) 5-0 in game two at the Drew Softball Complex.
Susquehanna's Heather Pearson led off game one with a homer to left field, and the River Hawks increased their advantage to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the fourth. Kasey Bost started the inning with an infield single and stole second before scoring on Jackie Gore's RBI single. Kelly Miller followed with a double to left that knocked in Gore and extended Susquehanna's advantage to three.
In the bottom of the fifth, Katie Grodski (Mepham, N.Y.) drew a leadoff walk before moving to second on Sophie Sirota's (Windsor, Conn.) groundout. Vanessa Villahermosa (Woodbridge, N.J.) then sent a ground ball towards third and the River Hawks tried to catch Grodski off second. She got back to the base safely, however, giving Drew runners on first and second with one one. After a popup, Brooke Adams (Cedar Grove, N.J.) cranked a double to the gap in left center that brought Drew within 3-1.
Villahermosa walked with one out in the seventh to bring up the tying run, but she was left stranded on second as the Rangers dropped a 3-1 decision.
Drew was held to just four hits in game one. Heather Ronchi (Leonia, N.J.) also doubled, while Lauren Mastropierro (Randolph, N.J.) and Jasmine Vera (Dumont, N.J.) each added a single. Stephanie Burns (Bellmore, N.Y.) (3-9) went the distance in the circle, allowing three runs on six hits, walking four and striking out two.
Six different River Hawks had hits in the contest, with Emilie Boman reaching base all three times on two walks and a triple. Pearson and Gore, meanwhile, both finished 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Alexa Gonzalez (12-4) limited the Rangers to one run on four hits in a complete game effort. She tallied two strikeouts and two walks.
Game two was scoreless until the top of the fourth, when Susquehanna broke through for two runs. The River Hawks added an unearned tally in the fifth, then got two more on Bost's sixth-inning double.
For the Rangers, the best scoring chance came in the bottom of the fifth. After singles by Sirota and Michelle Nestor (Hazlet, N.J.), Drew had runners at first and third with one down. Adams then sent a bunt back towards the circle and the River Hawks got the runner at third for the second out. Mastropierro then popped up to end the inning, and, outside of Ronchi's two-out single in the sixth, the Rangers wouldn't have another base runner in the 5-0 defeat.
Ronchi had half of Drew's hits in her final collegiate game, finishing 3-for-3 with a double. Mastropierro also singled in her last contest. Megan Hulmes (Hawthorne, N.Y.) (2-8) threw a complete game, giving up five runs (four earned) on nine hits while striking out three and walking two.
For the River Hawks, Bost ended up 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Leigh Ann Greenwald was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Brooke Wilarda (4-0) earned the win after scattering six hits in six shutout innings. She was credited with three strikeouts. Gabby Budda pitched a perfect ninth for Susquehanna, as the River Hawks clinched the No. 3 seed in the Landmark Conference Tournament.
Between games of the twinbill, Drew honored its four graduating seniors—Ronchi, Adams, Mastropierro and Villahermosa. Ronchi ends her career as the Rangers' all-time leader in hits (164), and her career .362 batting average is the fourth-best in program history. Adams, meanwhile, ranks fourth all-time with 27 stolen bases in addition to compiling 114 hits during her time in Madison.
