Christine Kiefer	Marisa Ciriello	Morgan Rentzheimer

Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. - Senior Christine Kiefer's (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) pinch hit, RBI single with two outs in the seventh inning gave the University of Scranton softball team a lead they would not relinquish in the second game of a Landmark Conference doubleheader at Elizabethtown, as the Royals completed a sweep with a 5-4 victory.

Scranton won the first game of the day over the host Blue Jays, 6-2.

With the victories, Scranton improved to 7-6 overall and 2-2 in the Landmark Conference, while Elizabethtown fell to 3-17, 0-4 in the Landmark Conference with the losses.

In the first game of the day, the Royals did all their damage in the top of the seventh inning, as Scranton exploded for six runs to open a 6-1 in the eventual four-run victory.

In that decisive seventh for Scranton, the Royals entered the frame three outs away from a loss, as they trailed 1-0. But, in the inning, Scranton scored six times on five hits.

The first RBI of the frame for the Royals came with one out, as Kiefer knocked home senior Shannon Stricker (Morrisville, Pa./Conwell Egan) - who kicked the inning off with a lead-off single.

With the bases loaded, freshman Anna Price (Bordentown, N.J./Bordentown Regional) gave Scranton the lead, as a two-RBI single lifted Scranton to a 3-1 lead.

Next up was senior Marisa Ciriello (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) who put Scranton up for good after smashing a three-run home run, giving the Royals a decisive 6-1 lead. In the bottom of the frame, E-Town was able to score once, but that was it, as the Royals collected their first Landmark Conference win of the year in comeback fashion.

In the circle in game one, junior Morgan Rentzheimer (Laurys Station, Pa./Parkland) earned the complete game victory, as she did not allow an earned run, on four hits and three strikeouts to move to 5-3 overall for the year.

The second game saw Elizabethtown take an even bigger lead early, as the Blue Jays opened a 4-0 edge after two innings of the Royals.

But, Scranton gradually chipped away at the lead, scoring a single run in the third inning, then two more in the fourth to slice the E-Town lead down to 4-3 after four.

In the sixth, the Royals completed the comeback, as sophomore Molly Hampsey (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) knocked home Ciriello on a sacrifice RBI fly, tying the game at 4-4 entering the seventh.

There, senior Jacqueline DeSarro (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) opened the inning with a single, then advanced to third on back-to-back outs by Scranton.

With two away and a runner on third, Kiefer pinch hit and singled to left, bringing home DeSarro to give the Royals a 5-4 lead.

Needing three outs to win, the Royals called on Rentzheimer to come in and close the game out, and she did just that, earning her first save on the season in preserving the game two win for Scranton.

Overall, DeSarro had a big game two, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Price was 2-for-3 in the win, while Ciriello scored two runs in the contest. In the circle, freshman starter Caitlin Long (Ho Ho Kus, N.J./Northern Highlands Regional) earned her first win of the year after keeping E-Town off the scoreboard for the final three innings she was in the game.

The University of Scranton softball team returns to action on Monday, traveling to King's for a non-conference doubleheader. Action begins at 3:30 p.m.

--ROYALS--