Isabella Gorzkowski	Sarah Stepnowski

SCRANTON - The University of Scranton softball team finished off a great 2021 regular season on Sunday, as the Royals swept a Landmark Conference doubleheader with Juniata by scores of 3-1 and 13-1 (in five innings) at Magis Field.

Scranton, winners of eight games in a row to end the regular year, finish off the 2021 regular season slate with a 20-4 record overall and in Landmark Conference action.

Outside of four losses to nationally-ranked Moravian, the Royals have swept every other team in the conference in four-game series' throughout the course of the year.

Game One | Box Score

In game one, the Royals offense was silent for most of the game, as Juniata was able to smack a solo home run in the second inning off of Scranton starter senior Jennifer Sweeney (Wind Gap, Pa./Dumont) to take a 1-0 lead.

That lead held into the bottom of the sixth inning when finally, the Royals struck.

In the frame, Scranton's first three base runners got on to load the bases for Sweeney. She delivered, as her RBI single scored freshman Jessica Stadler (Monmouth Junction, N.J./South Brunswick) from third to tie the game up at 1-1.

After an out, sophomore Isabella Gorzkowski (Pittston, Pa./Scranton Prep) came up with the game-winning play, as her two-RBI single scored Sweeney and freshman Sarah Stepnowski (Monroe Twp., N.J./Monroe) to give the Royals a 3-1 lead entering the seventh.

There, Sweeney retired the Eagles in order, as Scranton came from behind late to take game one by two runs.

Overall, six different Royals had one hit, apiece, in the victory. Sweeney, meanwhile, pushed her record to 12-2 overall with another complete-game victory, allowing just one run on the second inning homer. She also fanned five in the victory, her fourth straight overall.

Game Two | Box Score

In the second game, the Royals put things away early, leaping out to a 9-0 lead after two innings.

Following a Juniata run in the top of the third, Scranton put the Eagles away for the weekend with a four-run frame in the bottom of the fourth.

Up by 12 in the fifth and with a chance to finish off the game, the Royals did just that, as they collected another Landmark doubleheader sweep with the huge game two triumph.

In the second game, Stepnowski dominated at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a two-run home run and a two-RBI single to tally four RBI's for the game. It marked the second straight game that Stepnowski went long for the Royals, as she scored three times in the dominating victory, as well.

Elsewhere, sophomore Alyssa Segnello (Flanders, N.J./Mount Olive) also had a big game two, going 2-for-2 with three RBI's and a run scored. In the fourth, Segnello had a two-RBI double. Junior Heather Alich (Bath, Pa,/Northampton Area) rounded out the top performers in game two, as she went 1-for-2 with an RBI (on a double) and a run scored.

In the pitching circle, senior Meaghan Dowdell (Parlin, N.J./Old Bridge) had a solid game, allowing just one run on seven hits to push her record on the year to 8-2 overall.

The University of Scranton softball team now sets its sights on the 2021 Landmark Conference Championship, which will begin in Scranton on Saturday.

The second-seeded team in the field, the Royals will take on either Catholic or Drew in their first game of the tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Magis Field.

More information on the 2021 Landmark Softball Championship will be posted on athletics.scratnon.edu throughout the week.

--ROYALS--