Royals Continue To Roll

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The University of Scranton extended its season-long winning streak to 14 games by sweeping Catholic University in Landmark Conference action Sunday afternoon. In the process, the Royals reach the 20-win plateau for the first time since 1991 and for the fourth time in school history.

Junior pitcher Isabel Mendez (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) scattered five hits and did not allow an earned run as the Royals took the opener, 5-1. She came on in relief of Kasey Borbidge (Glenolden, Pa./Springfield) in the second inning and held the Cardinals to five hits the rest of the way as Scranton pulled out a 13-7 victory in the nightcap. Her consecutive innings streak without allowing an earned run was snapped at 34, when Catholic scored four runs in the third inning to regain the lead after the Royals scored five times in the top half of the frame to erase an early 3-0 deficit.

In the first game, senior Erin Moreau (Nanuet, N.Y./Nanuet) had three hits and scored twice and freshman Annie Zeleniak (Taylor, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) and junior Molly Matyas (Scranton, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) drove in two runs apiece. The Royals took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on RBI singles by Borbidge and Matyas. Zeleniak extended the lead to 4-1 by driving in two runs with a single in fourth inning before Matyas closed out the scoring with an RBI single in the seventh.

In the second game, freshman Mia Collarini (Jessup, Pa./Valley View) had three hits, including a double, and drove in four runs and Zeleniak and sophomore Ashley Regan (Old Forge, Pa./Old Forge) contributed three hits apiece for Scranton, which belted out 16 for the game. Collarini drove in two runs with an single in the third and followed with a double down the right-field line to drive in two more in the fourth. In the seventh, Moreau drove in two runs with a single and Regan followed with an RBI single to set the final score.

The two pitching victories gives Mendez 11 for the season, which is tied for third on the Royals’ single-season list. She needs two more wins to break Alyce Ruane (1980) and Sue Moore’s (1982) single-season record of 12. With 12 regular-season games remaining, Scranton is only two wins shy of breaking the school-record for most wins in a season. The 1980 team won 21 games and advanced to the then Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) tournament under then head coach Gary Wodder.

The Royals opened the weekend on Saturday by taking two from Susquehanna University in a Landmark Conference action in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

Mendez struck out two and scattered five hits in a 2-0 victory in the first game. Collarini led the way on the offensive end with two hits, including a triple, and senior Mary Beth Vogel (Havertown, Pa./Cardinal O’Hara) belted a triple.

The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Vogel tripled and came around to score, unearned, on a ball hit to the right-side of the Crusader defense by Borbidge that was misplayed. In the fifth, Collarini hit her team-leading fifth triple to left-center field and scored on a sacrifice fly by Moreau.

In the nightcap, Borbidge allowed only three hits and struck out three as the Royals held on for a 3-2 victory. She helped her own cause with an RBI triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Nikki Malloy (Shavertown, Pa./Bishop Hoban) during a two-run rally in the sixth. Zeleniak put Scranton up 1-0 with an RBI double in the third inning and finished with two hits and scored a run. With the win, Borbidge improved to 9-1. The Royals’ consecutive streak of holding their opponents scoreless came to an end at 40 innings when the Crusaders pushed two runs across in the bottom of the sixth.