Gabrielle Santarelli	Morgan Rentzheimer	Stephanie Romano
Christine Kiefer	Shannon Stricker	Kaitlyn Pittsman

Box score (game one)
Box score (game two)

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Both games came down to the final swing of the bat, and The University of Scranton softball team came out on the winning end in the first game, but not the second, splitting a doubleheader at Elizabethtown in Landmark Conference play on Sunday.

The Royals won the opener, 5-4, by getting the final out while the Blue Jays had two runners on. In the second game, Scranton rallied to tie the game in the seventh, but Elizabethtown scored in the bottom of the eighth for its own 5-4 victory.

The split puts Scranton at 10-7 overall and 4-2 in Landmark Conference play, good for third place with six conference games remaining.

In the opener, Scranton took a 5-3 lead with two runs in the sixth, but had to hang on in the bottom of the seventh after the Blue Jays scored a run to pull within one with runners on second and third and one out. But Royals freshman pitcher Morgan Rentzheimer (Laurys Station, Pa./Parkland) got the second out on a comebacker. After a walk loaded the bases, she coaxed another comebacker for the final out to finish the complete game.

Senior center fielder Gabrielle Santarelli (Peckville, Pa./Valley View) had three hits, an RBI and a run, and senior second baseman Stephanie Romano (Oak Ridge, N.J./West Milford) finished the game with two hits, an RBI and a run, and sophomores Christine Kiefer (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh), Shannon Stricker (Morrisville, Pa./Conwell Egan) and Kaitlyn O'Sullivan (Bensalem, Pa./Nazareth Academy) each had two hits and a run.

In the second game, Elizabethtown took a 4-0 lead after two innings, but Scranton answered with single runs in the third and fifth innings, then tied the game with two in the top of the seventh. Santarelli's RBI double scored Stricker to cut the deficit to 4-3, and freshman Kaitlyn Pittsman (Jefferson Township, Pa./North Pocono) tied the game with an RBI fielder's choice.

But the Blue Jays earned the split with an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth.

Pittsman finished the second game with three hits and an RBI, Stricker singled, doubled, drove in a run and scored another, Santarelli singled, doubled and drove in a run, and singled twice and scored twice.

Sophomore pitcher Emily Simon (Freehold, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) was the hard-luck loser, allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings of relief. She gave up eight hits while striking out two.

The Royals are back in action on Wednesday, April 15, when they host Marywood at 4 p.m. at the Jessup Youth Sports Complex.

--ROYALS--