SCRANTON, Pa. – The University of Scranton softball team (21-19, 4-12 Landmark) closed out the 2024 season with a doubleheader sweep of the Elizabethtown Blue Jays (9-27, 3-13 Landmark) on Saturday at Magis Field in Scranton.
The Royals took game one by a score of 4-2 and finished the sweep with an 8-3 victory in the nightcap.
Scranton 4, Elizabethtown 2
Junior Hannah Keane (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) hit a go-ahead three-run shot in the fourth and the Royals captured a 4-2 win in game one.
Scranton trailed 2-0 in the fourth before freshman Alexa Bruno (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) knocked in a run with an RBI single and Keane followed with the clutch home run to give the hosts a 4-2 edge. The home run was Keane's second of the year.
Freshman Juliana Janezic (Southington, Conn./Cheshire Academy) earned the win in the circle for the Royals as she gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits to go along with a walk and five strikeouts in five innings of work. Sophomore Carley Noble (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) struck out one over two scoreless innings of relief to notch the save.
Cierra Kunkle was dealt the loss for the Blue Jays after allowing four runs on eight hits while walking one and fanning two over 6.0 IP.
Junior Madison DeStefano (Spring Brook Twp., Pa./North Pocono) and senior Jessica Stadler (Monmouth Junction, N.J./South Brunswick) tallied two hits apiece in the victory for Scranton.
Scranton 8, Elizabethtown 3
The Royals took the lead for good with a four-run second inning and never looked back en route to the 8-3 win in game two.
ETown struck for two in the top of the first, but the Royals answered with the four-run second as junior Kylie Rochford (Tinton Falls, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) knocked in a run with an RBI single and freshman Celia Totaro (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) cleared the bases with a three-run triple.
Senior Sarah Stepnowski (Monroe Twp., N.J./Monroe) extended the lead with a two-run shot in the fourth inning and Bruno added an RBI single to make it a 7-2 game. The home run was Stepnowski's team-leading fifth of the season and the senior tacked on an RBI single in the fifth inning.
In the circle, junior Emma Tirollo (Orange, Conn./Amity Regional) gave up two runs on three hits to go along with five walks and six strikeouts over 4 1/3 IP and recorded the win for Scranton. Sophomore Soleil Dooner (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) came on in relief and gave up just one hit while fanning one in 2 2/3 scoreless IP to notch her second save.
Gianna Anzideo was dealt the loss for the Blue Jays after allowing four runs on two hits while walking two and fanning one in 1 2/3 IP.
Totaro (3-4, 3B, 3 RBI, R) led the Royals offensively with three hits and Rochford and Stepnowski added two apiece.
Prior to Saturday's game, the Royals honored the senior class of Stadler, Stepnowski, Bailee Hendricks(Norristown, Pa./Norristown Area) and Courtney Wellet (Glen Gardner, N.J./Voorhees).
--ROYALS--
