Here is a weekly wrap-up of University of Scranton athletic events. To see the full Royal Review release, visit http://matrix.scranton.edu/athletics/gnmay22011.shtml.

Baseball (20-15/12-6 Landmark Conference)
The baseball team won six straight games during the period to extend its season-long winning streak to 12. On Sunday, May 1, however, that streak came to an end with an 8-2 loss to Juniata College in the finale of a three-game Landmark Conference series in Huntingdon.

More importantly, the Royals won three of four conference games during the week to lock up the number two seed in the Landmark tournament, where Scranton returns to the postseason for the first time since losing to Catholic University in the championship bracket in 2008.

The Royals completed a three-game conference sweep of Catholic on Tuesday, April 26, with a 10-9 victory at Connell Park.  After posting wins over Wilkes, 12-6, on Wednesday, April 27, in Edwardsville and a non-conference sweep of Penn State-Wilkes-Barre on Friday, April 29, Scranton clinched the number two seed by taking the first two games of the series against Juniata on Saturday, April 30, winning the first, 9-4, and the second, 4-2.

Senior Jason Lane (Moosic/Riverside) played a big role in the Royals’ late season-surge, hitting .450 (9-for-20), with nine RBI, in six of the last seven games.
 
Men’s Golf (10-0)
Senior Brad Sparks (Forest City/Forest City Regional) ended his college career in style, carding a one-under-par and career-low round of 71 on Tuesday, April 26, in leading the Royals to victories over William Paterson and Wilkes at the Wilkes-Barre Golf Club.

The Royals also shot a season-low total of 297 to end their 2011 season with a perfect 10-0 record in dual-match competition.  Sophomores Justin Riley (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield), Chris Schank (Dunmore/Scranton Preparatory) and Jamie Bresnahan (Exeter/Wyoming Area) rounded out the scoring with rounds of 73, 75 and 78, respectively.

Men’s Lacrosse (7-7/3-2 Landmark Conference)
The men’s lacrosse team wrapped up the number two seed in the upcoming Landmark Conference tournament by defeating Catholic University, 12-10, in the regular-season finale for both teams on Saturday, April 30, at Cardinal Stadium in Washington, D.C.

The Royals defeated the top two teams in the conference in their final two games to earn their third tournament bid in the conference’s four-year history.

Sophomore attacker Taylor Nelson (Chester Springs/Downingtown East) led the Royals with four goals, junior midfielder Mike Rufo (Broomall/Haverford School) had three, senior attacker Robert Pantages (Roseland, N.J./West Essex), and senior Sean Milde (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) and freshmen John Gregitis (Wayne/St. Joseph’s Preparatory) and Gus Sturm (Devon/Conestoga) chipped in one apiece for the Royals, who out-scored the Cardinals 4-1 in the third period to erase a 7-6 halftime deficit.

Women’s Lacrosse (10-5/2-2 Landmark Conference)
The women’s lacrosse team reached the 10-win plateau for the first time since 2006 with a 20-6 victory over Misericordia University on Thursday, April 28, in Dallas, Pennsylvania.

Senior defender Katie Slade (Buckingham/Central Bucks East) and first-year players Christine Dredger (Glen Head, N.Y./Lady of Mercy Academy) and Mariah Guy (Ocean Township, N.J./Ocean Township) scored three goals apiece and sophomore midfielder Jilliana DePaolera (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) finished with two goals and four assists for the Royals, who built up a 13-4 halftime lead.

Scranton ended its regular season on Saturday, April 30, with a 17-8 loss to 10th-ranked Catholic University in Landmark Conference action at Cardinal Stadium in Washington, D.C.

The Royals trailed by only three early in the second half before the Cardinals went on a 9-1 spurt to break the game open.  Junior attacker Kaela Mahon (Avon-by-the-Sea, N.J./Saint Rose) and sophomore attacker Kaitlin Lazorko (Philadelphia/Nazareth Academy) led the way on the offensive end with two goals apiece and sophomore goalkeeper Kathleen Smart (Hatboro/Archbishop Wood) paved the way on the defensive end by making a career-high 16 saves.

Softball (18-10/7-5 Landmark)
The softball team won three of four games in Landmark Conference action to lock up a postseason tournament berth for the third time in the four-year history of the league.

On Tuesday, April 26, senior Annie Zeleniak (Taylor/Scranton Preparatory) belted a double and a home run and junior pitcher Christine Capalbo (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) tossed a complete-game shutout as the Royals defeated Susquehanna University, 4-0, in the second game of a doubleheader at the Jessup Youth Sports Association Complex in Jessup.

On Saturday, April 30, sophomore pitcher Samantha Boccolini (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Hills) struck out three and allowed just five hits as the Royals downed Drew University, 5-0, in the first game of a conference doubleheader, also in Jessup.  Junior Tia Dimou (Center Valley/Southern Lehigh) drove in the game-winning run with a single in the fifth inning that opened the way during a 5-run rally.    In the second game, a 9-1 victory in five innings, Zeleniak belted her team-leading sixth home run of the season.

The Royals sandwiched a pair of wins over Wilkes University between its conference doubleheaders with Susquehanna and Drew on Wednesday, April 27. 

Men’s Tennis (9-5/5-1 Landmark)
Behind two wins from freshman David Teres (Lebanon, N.J./North Hunterdon), the men’s tennis team defeated Catholic University, 5-1, in the semifinals of the Landmark Conference tournament on Tuesday, April 26, at the Poly-Hi Tennis Courts on campus.

The Royals took a 2-1 lead after doubles play and locked up the victory behind singles wins by Teres and sophomores Joe Morra (Bronx, N.Y./Fordham Preparatory) and Jonathan Russo (Madison, N.J./Madison) at the number one, four and fifth positions in the lineup.

For the second straight year, Scranton met Drew University in the title match in Madison, New Jersey, on Saturday, April 30.

The Royals put up a valiant effort, but lost a 5-4 decision.  The Rangers won their fourth straight Landmark Conference championship and 11th consecutive conference title by winning four of six singles matches to wipe away a 2-1 deficit after doubles.  Teres and sophomore Tim McGurrin (Clarks Summit/Scranton Preparatory) and the sophomore tandem of Bennett Kelley (Pennington, N.J./Hopewell Valley  Central) and Mike Pannone (Maplewood, N.J./Seton Hall Preparatory) won their doubles matches at the number one and three position, respectively.

In singles, senior Carl Caceres (Teaneck, N.J./Bergen Catholic) ended his career with a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Matt Brisotti at three and Morra topped Adam Gerber, 6-3, 6-1, at four.  Caceres finished his outstanding career with a 57-21 (.730) record in singles and a 46-28 (.621) mark in doubles.

Women’s Tennis (6-10/3-2 Landmark)
The women’s tennis team entered the Landmark Conference tournament as the number four seed and pulled off an 8-1 upset victory of top-seeded Goucher College on Wednesday, April 27, in Towson, Md.

Seniors Danielle Wylie (Schnecksville/Parkland) and Kelly Costello (Branchville, N.J./High Point Regional), junior Caitlin Ehly (Philadelphia/Saint Basil Academy) and first-year players Stephanie Boccuzzi (Doylestown/Central Bucks East) and Devon Cohen (Ambler/Hatboro-Horsham) won two matches apiece.

On Saturday, April 30, the Royals lost to Moravian College, 5-4, in Bethlehem. The Lady Greyhounds, who led 2-1 after doubles’ play, won the final two singles matches to erase a 4-3 deficit.

Wylie and junior Elisha Connell (Orangeburg, N.Y./Albertus Magnus) won in doubles and Cohen, Costello and Ehly emerged victorious in singles.

Wylie and Costello ended their careers with 35 and 20 wins in singles, respectively.

Baseball – BAPTIST BIBLE (CONNELL PARK, 3:30 P.M.)

Tuesday, May 3
Baseball – WILKES (DH, CONNELL PARK, 2 P.M.
Softball – at Misericordia (DH, 3 p.m.)

Wednesday, May 4
Men’s Lacrosse – Landmark Conference Semifinals
#3 CATHOLIC at #2 SCRANTON (FITZPATRICK FIELD, 4 P.M.)
#4 Susquehanna at #1 Goucher (TBA)

Friday, May 6
Softball - Landmark Tournament (Moravian College, Bethlehem)
#4 SCRANTON vs. #1 MORAVIAN (11 A.M.)
#3 Catholic vs. #2 Susquehanna (1 p.m.)
Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 (3 p.m.)

Saturday, May 7
Baseball – Landmark Tournament (Moravian College, Bethlehem)
#4 Susquehanna vs. #1 Moravian (12:30 p.m.)
#3 CATHOLIC vs. #2 SCRANTON (4 p.m.)
Men’s Lacrosse – Landmark Conference Championship
Catholic/Scranton winner vs. Susquehanna/Goucher winner at site of highest seed remaining (TBA)

Softball - Landmark Tournament (Moravian College, Bethlehem)
Games scheduled for 9 and 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. (if necessary)

Sunday, May 8
Baseball – Landmark Tournament (Moravian College, Bethlehem)
Games scheduled for 9 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 4 p.m.