MADISON, N.J. – The Rangers slugged 14 hits and two home runs, but lost by a final of 16-10 to Susquehanna University in a Landmark Conference (LC) series finale Sunday afternoon at Doc Young Field. With the win, the River Hawks completed a series sweep and clinched a conference playoff berth.
 
Highlights
• Senior Zach Lipshitz spotted Drew (16-13, 6-6 LC) an early 2-0 lead with a two-run homer over the leftfield fence in the bottom of the first. It was the sixth home run in the last nine Landmark Conference outings for Lipshitz.
• It was still a 2-0 game heading into the fourth after freshman starter Grant Purpura tossed three scoreless innings to open the game. But Susquehanna (15-11, 12-3 LC), batting .322 as a team entering the game, assumed a 4-2 lead with a four-run fourth.
• The Rangers answered with five in the bottom of the inning to go back in front, 7-4. Senior Mike Pettigrew doubled in a run while senior Eric DiPietro and junior Vinny Carlesi each had an RBI-single.
• The River Hawks tied it with three runs over the fifth and sixth, but Drew went up 10-7 in the bottom of the sixth on a majestic three-run homer to right from senior Matthew Lange.
• Susquehanna came back with nine unanswered runs, scoring two in the seventh, three in the third, and four in the ninth, to set the final score. In the meantime, the SU bullpen tossed three shutout innings to end the game.
 
Top Performers
• Pettigrew finished 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles.
• In just his second start of the season, Carlesi went 3-for-5.
• Lange finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs while Lipshitz was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and and two RBIs.
• Junior Jon Cocchio went 2-for-4 with two runs.
 
Stat Sheet
Susquehanna stroked 18 hits on the day, including six for extra bases. Junior Nathan Madden (1-0) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings to get the win while sophomore Will Carey tossed the final two frames to earn a save. Seven pitchers took the mound for the Rangers, with Brandon Savitz (1-1) taking the loss after tossing 1 2/3 innings.
 
Next Up
Drew returns home on Wednesday, when it plays FDU-Florham at 3 p.m. The Rangers then hit the road for another Landmark Conference series, visiting Elizabethtown for a single game on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday.