Christine Kiefer	Stephanie Romano
Shannon Stricker	Morgan Rentzheimer

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

The University of Scranton softball team needed a sweep against Drew and a loss by Catholic on Saturday to earn a Landmark Conference playoff berth. In the end, the Royals got neither, splitting the doubleheader while Catholic won twice, rendering the Royals' loss meaningless.

Scranton won the first game against the Rangers, 8-2, but suffered a 5-2 defeat in the second game of the doubleheader at the Jessup Youth Sports Complex.

The Royals (16-14, 5-7 Landmark) scored five times in the first two innings of the opener to take control. Sophomore left fielder Christine Kiefer (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) finished 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI, and senior second baseman Stephanie Romano (Oak Ridge, N.J./West Milford) singled twice, drove in three and scored a run.

Sophomore shortstop Shannon Stricker (Morrisville, Pa./Conwell Egan) got Scranton started with a two-run double in the bottom of the first. Romano's two-out, two-run single gave Scranton a 5-2 lead after two innings, and Kiefer added an RBI single in the fourth.

Freshman pitcher Morgan Rentzheimer (Laurys Station, Pa./Parkland) picked up the complete-game victory, allowing two runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out three.

In the second game, Scranton took a 2-0 lead after an inning on an RBI single by Romano and an RBI double by Stricker. But Drew (9-25, 1-11) scored three times in the fourth and twice in the sixth to win.

Kiefer doubled and scored a run, and Romano and Stricker added stolen bases in the defeat.

The Royals will travel to LaPlume, Pa. on Sunday to face Keystone College in a doubleheader beginning at noon.

--ROYALS--